


Immortalitas Aestas

by hiddenscribbles



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-08-20
Updated: 2011-08-30
Packaged: 2019-04-27 00:48:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 117,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14414055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiddenscribbles/pseuds/hiddenscribbles
Summary: There's been a heat spell cast on Hogwarts, and in between trying to counteract that, fight Voldemort and keep up in classes, Harry and Draco manage to find time to fall for each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was started in 2003, prior to the release of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," and completed in August 2011. Because it was started prior to the release of OotP, it is to be considered AU. There are aspects from the final three books that made it into this story, but many MANY others that did not, so please keep this in mind while reading. It also skews pretty heavily towards headcanons and things of that nature that were prominent during this time in the Harry Potter fandom, so I admit up front that the first portion of this story feels significantly like many other stories that were begun prior to the release of OotP; consider it a sign of fandom influence.
> 
> Beta readers fluctuated throughout the writing of this fic, but I still want to thank the following people: Jen, Ashley, LadyVader, Plumeria, and Fran. This story would be even rougher around the edges than it already is in some parts without their help.
> 
> This story is dedicated to Melissa, who started out as a fan and has become a great friend. ♥

****It was February.  
  
February at Hogwarts meant snow, cold temperatures, biting winds, and numb fingers reaching for the Snitch in Quidditch matches. It meant freezing walks to Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, winter cloaks, mittened hands, and house scarves. It meant nicked hot chocolate from the kitchens, snowball fights, and drying spells on the bottoms of their robes.   
  
It did not mean temperatures in the 30s, no wind and no uniforms. It did not mean absurdly hot classrooms, no fires in the fireplaces, and no covers on the beds at night.   
  
He was, Harry mused, going to have to drastically change his idea of February.   
  
Harry closed his eyes, sighing as he leaned back against a tree. His shirt was sticking to his back, glasses sliding down his nose. He moved his feet, tucking them underneath him to get them back in the shade and rubbed a hand over his face. He'd never felt so miserable in his life.   
  
Next to him, Ron shifted slightly, bumping against Harry's side.   
  
Harry groaned, shoving Ron gently away from him.   
  
"Please don't lie so close, Ron," he said softly, sweat dripping down his back. "It's too hot."   
  
Ron dropped his head to his knees. "Sorry, mate," came the mumbled reply, "I'm trying to stay out of the sun."   
  
Harry "hmmed" in agreement, pushing his glasses back up. They promptly slid back down.   
  
On his other side, Hermione closed her book. "This is ridiculous," she stated irritably. "Whoever heard of it being so hot in February?"   
  
Harry let his eyes drift closed again. He, along with the rest of the school, had been wondering the same thing.   
  
Some said it was a freak occurrence. Others, namely the Muggleborns, blamed Global Warming.   
  
Harry had his own ideas. The heat was solely focused around Hogwarts, ending as soon as you left the grounds. Hogwarts also just happened to be the spearhead of the resistance to Voldemort. Harry didn't consider this a coincidence. Most of the sixth and seventh years agreed with him. Hermione and several Ravenclaws had taken to checking out large books on heat spells. So far, no one had found anything that could account for the severe increase in temperatures.   
  
The temperature hadn't slowly climbed either. It had been -1 degrees last Tuesday. It shot to 36 degrees that Wednesday.   
  
It was now a week later. The temperature hadn't fluctuated at all. The students and staff of Hogwarts had sat through seven 36-degree days. They were tired, irritable, and hot. Not only was the temperature acting strangely, but so was the weather itself. Whereas Hogsmeade was still covered in a blanket of snow, Hogwarts was unbearably sunny and bright during the day, and extremely cloudy and hot at night. Harry was positive that if Voldemort were to attack, there wouldn't be much of a fight. He was too hot to even pick up his wand.   
  
Sighing again, he turned to look at Hermione. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat, her face drawn. There were dark smudges under her eyes from lack of sleep. Her brown eyes, however, burned with an inner fire. Hermione, it seemed, was still determined to fight.   
  
"Harry," she said softly, reaching out to push his glasses up again, then letting her hand rest on his shoulder.   
  
He waited, knowing she had more to say. He raised an eyebrow.   
  
She smiled. "How are you doing?"   
  
He returned her smile, knowing what she saw when she looked at him, and the reason for her asking.   
  
He knew he looked tired, the same smudges under his eyes that were under Hermione's. The heat seemed to be draining all his energy. He was moving slower and not sleeping. The bond between himself and Voldemort seemed to be getting stronger each day. He was woken night after night, his scar burning so badly he could hardly breathe.   
  
And each time he'd push away his friends' concerned questions and dutifully tell Dumbledore everything he'd seen. So far, it hadn't seemed to do any good. The Aurors would arrive at the scene and Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be gone, leaving smoking ruins and dead bodies behind.   
  
"I'm doing okay, Hermione," he replied.   
  
She squeezed his shoulder once before dropping her hand.   
  
"Just know I'm always here for you, Harry, if you ever need someone to talk to. Ron!" she raised her voice suddenly.   
  
"Huh?" Ron responded, raising his head from his knees, blinking twice. "What?"   
  
"Get up," she said, patting Harry's knee. "We have to go to Potions."   
  
"Argh," was Ron's only reply. He pulled himself to his feet and stretched.   
  
Harry stood, too, reaching a hand down to pull Hermione to her feet. He pushed his glasses up again.   
  
"At least it should be cooler there," he said softly.   
  
Harry reached down and gathered up his books, Ron and Hermione doing the same. Glancing towards the school he saw Seamus and Dean walking slowly across the grass.   
  
"Well, come on then," Hermione said, walking briskly away from them, "we don't want to be late."   
  
Harry and Ron glanced at each other, suppressing a snicker. Hermione had an obvious crush on Seamus, which explained why she was one step short of running across the grounds.   
  
"Seamus!" Harry called out, taking pity on her. "Wait up!"   
  
Ron glanced sideways at him. Since the beginning of the year, Harry had rarely raised his voice, and hardly ever smiled.   
  
Ahead, Seamus and Dean stopped. Hermione caught up to them, talking quietly enough that Harry couldn't hear. He caught Dean's eye and motioned him away from the other two. Dean smiled, quietly stepping to the side and pushing Seamus gently towards the castle with a wink in Harry's direction.   
  
Seamus took the hint, lightly grasping Hermione's arm and leading her towards the school. He glanced over his shoulder, never breaking in his conversation with Hermione, and nodded in Harry's direction. Harry smiled and nodded back, grabbing Ron's arm to stop him from walking any farther.   
  
Dean had reached them by then and smiled again at Harry. "That was brilliant, my friend," he said, laughing. "I've been trying to get those two alone for a while now."   
  
Harry returned his smile. "Well, I'm not sure how much more I can take. They both like each other so much and it's so obvious that I wish they'd both just figure it out. Frankly the whole thing is just making me tired, and it's not like I needed any help with that."   
  
Dean nodded his agreement. "So, did you both read your Potions homework?"   
  
The other two boys groaned in response, starting to walk towards the school again. Harry looked up at the sky, seeing the bright blue color and the sun beaming mercilessly down on them, not a cloud in the sky. He sighed, again pushing up his glasses. He wished that whatever this was would just go away.   
  
***   
  
If there was one thing Draco Malfoy hated above all others, it was hot temperatures. Heat, and the accompanying humidity, made him feel absolutely horrible. It made his hair frizz up and worst of all - it made him sweat.   
  
And Draco Malfoy hated to sweat.   
  
He was currently sitting in the Potions classroom, which thankfully was a little cooler than the Charms classroom he'd previously been in. His green shirt was sticking to his back, and his palms were sweating. It was, he decided, most uncomfortable.   
  
Because of the heat, Dumbledore was allowing the students to wear whatever they liked, with the stipulation that it was in their house colors. Today, Draco was attired in a green polo shirt with grey trousers. His Prefect badge was gleaming in the light. He raised a hand wearily to his face, wiping off the sweat that insisted on dripping down his nose. He'd never been so hot.   
  
He glanced around the classroom, knowing that his fellow classmates were feeling much the same way. To his left sat Pansy, her dark hair pulled up into a ponytail on the top of her head. She was wearing a short black skirt and a green tank top. His other female housemates were similarly attired.   
  
To Pansy's left sat Blaise. He was currently leaning forward, elbows on the table top, sleeping. How anyone could sleep in this heat, sitting up, was beyond Draco. He, himself, hadn't been sleeping very well at all. And, casting another glance around the classroom, he noticed that he wasn't the only one.   
  
Behind him, Crabbe and Goyle were both sleeping, heads resting on their folded arms. There was a bit of a breeze in the classroom, most likely to provide a bit of cool air to keep the Potions stable, and it was blowing the page of Goyle's book back and forth. Behind them sat Millicent Bulstrode and Tracey Davis, both looking exhausted. They apparently hadn't read their homework, though, since they seemed to be engrossed in their textbooks.   
  
Only three Gryffindors had arrived, Draco noted, as he shifted his gaze to the other side of the room. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil seemed to be talking about Divination,  _Unfogging the Future_  sitting open in front of them. Both of them were dressed in red sleeveless dresses, their hair pulled up in buns on top of their heads. There were purple smudges under both sets of eyes, causing them to have a bruised look. Next to Patil was Longbottom. He, too, was sleeping, apparently taking advantage of the cooler temperatures to catch a much needed nap.   
  
The door to the classroom opened and Finnigan and Granger walked through, heads bent towards each other, talking softly. Draco rolled his eyes. It was common knowledge that they both had enormous crushes on each other and he, for one, would be glad if they'd finally realize their feelings for each other. Although, Draco mused, he wasn't sure he wanted to see them acting on those feelings anywhere near him.   
  
Draco picked up his quill, running it through his fingers. He leaned an elbow on the table, resting his head on his hand. He was so very tired. He figured he could handle the heat, if he weren't so bloody tired. His eyes closed, and he suddenly wished he were done with classes for the day and able to go to bed.   
  
His eyes opened again at the sound of the classroom door swinging in. The rest of the Gryffindors had apparently arrived.   
  
His gaze swept over them. Dean Thomas was in the lead, talking to Weasley. Both boys were dressed similarly; red shirts pulled free of the waistbands of their khaki shorts. Behind them was Potter. And Potter … well, Potter looked good.   
  
However, he also looked absolutely exhausted. He looked like he'd slept less then any of the others in the room combined. He, too, was wearing a red shirt and khaki shorts. Draco had never seen Potter in shorts until last week when the temperatures had taken a dramatic turn upwards. He had to admit that his school rival looked quite good in shorts. Potter's cheeks were flushed with heat and his black hair was tumbling wildly around his face, and as Draco watched, he raised a hand to shove it out of his eyes. His hand lingered briefly on his scar, that ever-famous scar, and he winced slightly at the contact. Granger seemed to notice this, and gave him a concerned look, but Potter merely shook his head and continued down the aisle.  
  
Potter looked tired and strained, and upon closer inspection, surreptitiously hidden behind the Potions book he'd picked up, Draco noticed that his green eyes were cloudy. Potter's eyes were usually so expressive; they were a gauge for Harry's moods and thoughts. Lately, though, they'd been clouded with worry and fatigue. Potter didn't seem nearly as carefree this year as he had in previous years.  _Well_ , Draco thought,  _as carefree as possible for someone who has constantly had his life threatened._  Draco wondered what it was that had taken the light out of those emerald eyes.   
  
Potter sat down next to Weasley, who was still conversing with Dean. He pulled out his parchment and quill, setting them to the side. Then, he leaned forward, resting his face in his hands. Draco couldn't help but notice the way he was holding himself; he was tense and seemed to be forcing each movement he made. Draco wanted to reach across the aisle and take those broad shoulders in his grasp. He wanted to massage away all the tension in that body.   
  
Draco had come to a realization last year. He was irrevocably attracted to Hogwarts' Golden Boy. It had taken some time to accept this knowledge, and Draco hadn't revealed it to anyone. He also knew that it wasn't just attraction; Draco cared for Harry Potter. He cared  _a lot_.   
  
Snape chose that moment to sweep into the room, robes billowing behind him. Potter's head immediately shot up, not wanting to give Snape any reason to take more points away from Gryffindor.   
  
"Today," Snape growled, "we will be learning to brew cooling potions. You all should have read the chapter last night and therefore should be able to brew it without incident. I expect there to be no mistakes."   
  
Draco rolled his eyes, gathering up his ingredients. The day that Potions class was "without incident" was the day that Voldemort decided to give up his plans for world domination and marry a Muggleborn witch.   
  
Snape interrupted his thoughts once more as he said, "And also remember that this cooling potion is not to be taken on a regular basis. Serious harm could come to you if you insist on ingesting it simply because you are feeling uncomfortable."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes at this and began to methodically chop his shrivelfig, glancing every so often at Potter across the aisle.   
  
Potter, too, was chopping his shrivelfig. Draco watched those tanned hands, one gripping the knife tightly, the other moving the shrivelfig. Draco wished those hands would do completely other things to him, but shook his head to clear his thoughts. There was no way. If there was one constant in this world it was that Harry Potter hated Draco Malfoy. And, although they had started to get along slightly better this year, Draco didn't see any way the relationship could possibly change. There was simply too much history between them to sort out.  
  
He moved his gaze back to his own work, finishing the preparation of his ingredients and setting his cauldron on low. He then added the ingredients in the correct order, stirring when necessary.  
  
Suddenly there was a  _boom_  in the back of the classroom. Draco didn't even need to turn to know that it was Longbottom; seven years of classes with the clumsy Gryffindor assured him it was. Snape moved swiftly past him, most likely going to deduct several points from the startled Seventh Year. He glanced back across the aisle at Potter, who'd simply hung his head and sighed at the sound, pinching the bridge of his nose as Snape began his usual tirade.  
  
There were no other disturbances once Snape had threatened them all with bodily harm. Draco finished his own potion, pouring a small amount into the flask in front of him. The cooling potion needed to sit overnight in a dark room before it was complete.   
  
Standing up, he began to clean his area. Of their own accord, Draco's eyes once again landed on Potter. He, too, seemed to have finished and was cleaning up his ingredients. Taking a deep breath, Draco stepped across the aisle, meeting his startled gaze.   
  
"Potter," he began, taking another breath, "would you like me to take your Potion into the storeroom?"   
  
Potter blinked at him, a look of confusion settling over his features.   
  
"Malfoy?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.   
  
Draco sighed. "Yes, Potter," he replied, smirking a little. "Would you like me to take it?"   
  
Potter seemed to shake himself a little, picking up his flask. He seemed uncertain, no doubt remembering the time Draco had purposely destroyed his potion in fifth year. "Sure," he finally said, a bit cautiously, and slowly handed the potion to Draco.  
  
Their fingers touched and a bolt of electricity ran through Draco at the contact. He lifted his eyes to Harry's, seeing a spark in the emerald green depths.   
  
"Thanks," came the soft reply, as Potter let go of the flask, eyes dropping back down to the tabletop.   
  
"No problem," Draco murmured in response, turning quickly towards the storeroom.   
  
He set Potter's potion on the shelf next to his own. He let his eyes drift shut briefly, wondering what had just happened. This definitely gave him something to think about.   
  
After returning to the classroom, he again glanced at Harry. Potter was again sitting with his face in his hands, breathing deeply. Draco turned away, purposely picking up his quill to finish his notes for the day. He needed to think, and he couldn't do it with the object of his affections sitting so near him.   
  
Snape dismissed class shortly afterwards, telling Longbottom quite casually that he'd be serving detention that evening. Draco took no time in leaving the dungeons. Luckily he had a free period next. He needed to think - about several things.   
  
He needed to think about Harry Potter.  
  
_(end chapter one)_


	2. Chapter 2

Harry was feeling very odd.   
  
He was lightheaded from the heat and lack of sleep, and he was horribly confused.   
  
Draco Malfoy had been  _nice_  to him. Draco Malfoy had  _touched_  him.   
  
Harry couldn't remember one instance in the past seven years when he'd touched Malfoy, or vice versa, in anything other than anger and contempt.   
  
Until today.   
  
He wasn't sure what had made him accept Malfoy's offer of help in the Potions room, especially considering all their past animosity. He supposed he could blame the momentary lapse on the heat. But he didn't think that was the true reason.   
  
And if Harry couldn't explain why he'd let Draco touch his potion, he had no hope of explaining what had happened when their  _hands_  had touched.   
  
It had felt like a bolt of lightning had hit him the second Draco's fingers brushed his. He'd looked up in shock, only to see the same expression mirrored briefly in his rival's silver gaze, before being hidden behind the usual mask. Harry had hurriedly dropped his eyes back to the tabletop, hoping Malfoy hadn't seen how much that one touch had unnerved him.   
  
His hand was still tingling, and Potions class had been over for an hour. Harry knew a little of it probably had to do with his innate magic; after all, Draco was a very powerful wizard. But he wasn't naïve enough to believe that was the only reason for his reaction.   
  
He was distracted from his thoughts by an elbow in his ribs. Glancing up, he turned to see Hermione frowning at him.   
  
"What?" he whispered. They were currently sitting in History of Magic and Binns had been droning on about the thirty-second Goblin War for the past forty-five minutes.   
  
Hermione sighed, nudging Harry's quill towards him, which he'd dropped without realizing. "Take notes, Harry," she whispered back. "This topic is sure to be on our N.E.W.T.'s."   
  
Harry obliged, picked up his quill and tried to listen to Binns. The professor was currently talking about Olgred the Fourth who had apparently dishonored his King by stealing someone's lettuce.   
  
Harry rolled his eyes. After a while all the Goblin Wars seemed to blur together. There was very little difference between them and Harry found them all ridiculously stupid.   
  
Looking to his left, Harry saw Ron drawing in the margins of his parchment. He apparently wasn't the only one who found Goblin Wars incredibly boring.   
  
He raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing his scar. It had become horribly sensitive as of late, most likely due to the fact that Voldemort had been very busy wreaking death and destruction on unsuspecting Muggles. His scar had never really overly bothered him before, but was becoming more and more uncomfortable as the days went by.   
  
Finally Binns dismissed the class. Harry gathered up his things quickly, wanting to get out of the stiflingly hot classroom. Someone tapped him on the shoulder; turning around, Harry found himself face to face with Parvati Patil.   
  
"Are we practicing today?" she asked, tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear. She was a chaser on the Quidditch team and, surprising everyone who had assumed she was too into her looks, clothes and cosmetic charms to be interested in a rough sport like Quidditch, was actually quite good.   
  
Harry sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could feel a huge headache coming on.   
  
"I don't think so, Parvati," he finally replied. "It's too hot to really practice and we just met yesterday to go over strategies. I don't think we really need it."   
  
A look of relief flooded her face. "Oh, thanks Harry. I'm not sure I could fly, to be honest. I just feel so worn out."   
  
She turned, shaking her head "no" at Lavender Brown, who smiled and nodded at Harry.   
Harry watched them walk out of the room, silently agreeing with her. He wasn't sure how much flying he'd be able to do either.   
  
Leaving the classroom, Harry headed towards Gryffindor Tower, wanting to drop his things off before heading back outside to find some shade. He also figured he should let the other members of the Quidditch team know they weren't going to be practicing today.   
  
He wanted some time to himself; he had some things he needed to think over. Dumbledore, Voldemort, Death Eaters, visions ... Draco.   
  
He  _really_  needed to think about Draco.   
  
***   
  
The war against Voldemort wasn't exactly a war. Fudge was calling it various names: "Covert Missions Against Darkness", "Mission of Light", "The Order Strikes Back" - but never a war.   
  
He still refused to publicly admit that Voldemort was back.   
  
Of course, the Wizarding World wasn't stupid. One could only see the Dark Mark in the sky so many times before realizing the truth; Voldemort was back and more powerful than ever.   
  
All of the students at Hogwarts were being taught Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts in preparation for the impending battle. Dumbledore had, despite numerous protests from the likes of Lucius Malfoy, brought back Remus Lupin to teach the class. He, along with Sirius, was teaching the students all he knew.   
  
While the lower years' educations were focusing on defense, the fifth through seventh years were getting a more offensive approach. Their Defense classes were focused on counter curses and shielding spells. Potions class was consisting of healing and rejuvenating potions. All sixth and seventh year students were being taught to Apparate. Those who showed signs of Animagi ability were being taught the  _Animagus_  transformation. Any charm, spell, or potion that could be of any use to the students was being taught.   
  
Hogwarts was still considered the safest place to be. The protection spells around it were the strongest ever created. It only made sense that the resistance would be housed there.   
  
The resistance was interesting. There was the Order of the Phoenix, headed by Dumbledore. All of the staff and several Ministry officials (Arthur Weasley, for one) were a part of it. There were several operatives in the Order- they went out on missions, trying to collect information on Voldemort and his followers. They no longer had anyone on the inside; Snape had been discovered the previous year and had barely escaped with his life. Oddly enough it had been Sirius who'd saved him; neither he nor Snape knew to this day exactly what to do with that knowledge.   
  
Another part of the resistance was the  _Adversarius Malus_ , or Resistance to the Dark. This group was made up of students. There were four from each house, Slytherin included. It had taken quite a bit of convincing, however, before they were accepted. Draco had actually taken a dose of Veritaserum in front of the other  _Adversarius_  members to prove their sincerity. He still smarted a bit from that session.   
  
Each member had been chosen for their strength in a specific skill. The  _Adversarius_  was led by Lupin, but the highest-ranking members were Head Girl Hermione Granger, who was a Potions expert, and the Boy-Who-Lived himself, Harry Potter. Draco had quickly realized that the Boy Wonder was exactly that - a wonder. He was, it seemed, good at everything. Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown were the other two Gryffindors; both were exceptional at Charms.  
  
Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, and Tracey Davis were the other Slytherins. Pansy was a Seer; her skills at Divination were unmatched. Blaise and Tracey's true strength was in Defense. Hannah Abbot, Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, and Justin Finch-Fletchley were the Hufflepuffs; Hannah was very good at Transfiguration, Ernie's talents were in Herbology, and Susan and Justin were experts at Arithmancy, which was invaluable for strategizing.  
  
Head Boy Terry Boot, Padma Patil, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Morag MacDougal made up the Ravenclaws. Terry and Padma were naturals when it came to working with magical creatures; they'd trained several Hippogriffs and were training with Charlie Weasley to learn about Dragons. Mandy was another Seer, although she wasn't quite as accurate as Pansy simply because she hadn't had the formal training that the Slytherin had had. Morag's strength was Astronomy; Draco hadn't been sure why they'd needed her in the group, but the girl's record spoke for itself. Morag had been able to determine the exact nights that the Death Eaters were going to attack just by looking at the stars.  
  
Draco wasn't sure how she'd accomplished that exactly, but just figured that he didn't need to know. Of course, she hadn't been able to determine where Voldemort was going to attack, just when. Morag had said that it was up to the Seers to determine the where.  
  
The sixteen members were the strongest witches and wizards in Hogwarts. There were several Muggleborns in the  _Adversarius_ ; Draco had had to swallow his pride and admit that they were very good.  
  
Draco's own strength was Potions; he'd yet to find one he couldn't brew.   
  
Looking around the Slytherin Common Room, he saw several seventh years engrossed in books.   
  
While Granger and the Ravenclaws were busy poring over the books in the library, the Slytherins were being more practical. They knew that if Voldemort was the one causing the extreme heat, the spell most likely was not going to be found in any of the books on the shelves of the Hogwarts library.   
  
All of the Slytherin seventh years had trained quite extensively in the Dark Arts. Since they couldn't openly practice dark curses while at school, their education had been supplemented with books. Between the nine of them, they owned over two hundred books on the Dark Arts, and it was in these books that they searched.   
  
They had not, however, found anything, and Draco was getting frustrated.   
  
Draco had not spoken to his father since May of his sixth year. Lucius had sent his son a letter, telling him that he would be taking the Dark Mark as soon as he returned home from school. He would serve the Dark Lord and work to rid the world of all the stupid Muggles, idiotic Mudbloods and one Harry Potter.   
  
Draco had promptly written back, telling his father exactly where he could put his Dark Mark, and gone to Dumbledore, asking for asylum. That very day, Narcissa Malfoy had arrived at Hogwarts with the rest of Draco's belongings. She, too, asked for asylum, and both she and Draco had spent the summer at the school.   
  
And they weren't the only ones. Servitude had not seemed like the ideal lifestyle for any of Draco's Slytherin yearmates. They had all remained at Hogwarts, under the protection of Albus Dumbledore. Not that Draco was foolish enough to think that they were all in agreement with Dumbledore's ideals; he knew that, more than likely, there were still some who were actively working for the Dark Lord, although no one had slipped up enough for Draco to know for certain.  
  
Narcissa had become an invaluable member of the Order. She knew the workings of the Death Eaters and understood their mindset. She also was never seen without one Sirius Black; he seemed to have attached himself to her, growling if anyone got too close. Draco imagined that they'd end up married once the war was over - providing Lucius would give her a divorce - or maybe they wouldn't have to worry about that if he didn't survive ... but Draco didn't want to travel too far down that line of thought.   
  
Draco sighed, rubbing his eyes. He was exhausted and very hot. The common room was slightly cool, mostly due to the fact that they were underground, but Draco had yet to cool down after spending most of the day in the ridiculously hot classrooms.   
  
He closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. His mind, however, was far from tired.   
  
Unbidden, images of Potter erupted in his head. One of the reasons that Draco had refused to go home and serve the Dark Lord was Harry. He'd realized in January of his Sixth year that he was attracted to the dark-haired Gryffindor. Even though (and in hindsight Draco felt it was also probably  _because_ ) he had resisted these thoughts, his feelings had only grown, becoming much more than attraction. There was no way that Draco could ever serve the person who had caused such devastation in Harry's life, and certainly would not have a hand in his destruction.   
  
Draco sighed again, rubbing his hands over his face. He cared about Harry. He wanted to find a way to defeat Voldemort once and for all.   
  
He hadn't fought with Harry at all this year, and had been pleasantly surprised when Harry had stood up for him in the  _Adversarius_  meeting when Draco had been under the influence of the Veritaserum. He hadn't allowed Granger to ask him any questions that weren't strictly necessary, and had stopped Weasley from asking him anything too personal. Harry himself had asked all the questions. Draco could remember it quite clearly, and the memory seemed to pop up without warning.   
  
" _Are you spying for Voldemort?_ " Harry had asked him.   
  
" _No_ ," Draco had replied, keeping his gaze locked with Harry's.   
  
" _Why didn't you join him?_ " had been the next question, asked so quietly Draco had had to strain to hear him.   
  
" _Because we have very different ideals_ ," had been Draco's equally quiet reply.   
  
Harry had held his gaze for a moment longer before leaning back in his chair. He'd folded his hands on the tabletop and was silent for a moment.   
  
" _This isn't a trick, right? You're really going to help us? You'll do whatever we say?_ " he'd finally asked, voice serious, but just as soft, and with a note of genuine curiosity.   
  
" _I'll do anything you ask of me_ ," had been Draco's reply, and he realized that he would still answer it the same way now. He'd do anything for Harry, anything at all.   
  
The rest of the occupants in the meeting had been stunned into silence. Harry had blinked at Draco's response, before saying, " _Thank you_."  
  
Draco stood up then, shaking his head to clear away the memories. He gathered up the books he'd been sifting through and headed over to where Pansy and Tracey were sitting. Pansy's nose was stuck in  _Intutus Defixus_. She was currently reading a section on transfiguring humans into Hippogriffs.   
  
"Have you found anything?" he asked Pansy, adding his books to the pile in front of Tracey.   
  
"No, nothing that's of any use," was the reply, as she turned the page. "You wouldn't believe some of these spells, Draco. They're quite nasty."   
  
"Hmm," Draco responded noncommittally, reading over her shoulder. "Why in God's name would you want to turn yourself into a pine tree?"   
  
"Well, I suppose it would be difficult for someone to attack you if you were a pine tree," Tracey spoke up, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Of course, you could still be struck by lightning. I wonder what would happen if you were on fire? And how do you suppose you'd turn yourself back? I'm sure it would be difficult to use your wand if you were still a tree."   
  
The three Slytherins sat in silence for a moment, contemplating the question.  
  
"I'm not sure," Pansy finally said. "I mean, trees don't die in fires, they just grow back. So, I guess you wouldn't die either if you were a tree. As for using your wand, I wouldn't think you'd be able to. So, I think you'd be st--"   
  
"We've gotten horribly off track," Draco cut in, wanting to put an end to the subject he himself had brought up. "We need to find out what's causing this heat. And we need to do it fast. I'm not sure how much longer I can handle not being able to sleep."   
  
The girls nodded in agreement, turning back to their books. Draco looked at his watch, and decided to head outside. Gryffindor was supposed to have Quidditch practice, but he imagined that they wouldn't be flying with this weather. The Slytherin team hadn't had an actual practice since last Thursday; it was simply too hot to stay upright on your broom.   
  
Draco walked outside and was instantly blinded by the sun. He blinked and raised a hand to shield his eyes, looking for Harry. Not seeing him, he decided to walk towards the Forbidden Forest, searching for some shade. He'd only been outside for a minute and he was already sweating.   
  
Strolling lazily along, he saw several students sitting in the shade, working on homework. He passed Granger and Finnigan, who were practically sitting on top of each other. Apparently  _someone_  had done something to get them together. He continued on his journey, passing Boot and the Ravenclaw Patil twin, who were both reading from books taken from the Hogwarts library.   
  
"Anything?" he asked, looking from one to the other.   
  
"No," Terry replied, shaking his head for emphasis. "We've looked everywhere."   
  
"I'm not sure there are many books left in the library that we haven't checked," Padma said softly.   
  
Draco nodded, moving on in his search for Potter.   
  
He passed a few sixth years, Ginny Weasley among them, before finding his target. Harry was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, elbows resting on them, head in his hands. His back was against a maple tree, books in a neat pile next to him, quill and ink sitting on top of them. Draco stayed in the shadows a while, just content to watch him.   
  
Harry sighed deeply, lifting his head to rub at his scar. His green eyes opened and recognition crossed his face as he saw Draco.   
  
"Malfoy," he said softly, dropping his elbows off his knees. "What are you doing out here?"   
  
There was no suspicion in the question, just simple curiosity.   
  
"I was just walking around," Draco replied, taking a few steps to bring him closer to the dark-haired boy. "I decided to find a place to sit for a while. But, since you're here, I can go find somewhere else."   
  
"Don't be silly," Harry said, moving his pile of books to his other side. "You can sit here if you want. I don't bite."   
  
Draco closed the distance between them, dropping down next to Harry. "You do too bite," he replied, remembering an instance in sixth year when Harry had, indeed, taken a bite out of him.   
  
Harry smiled softly, remembering. "Ah, well, I don't bite that often then."   
  
Draco didn't say anything, content to just sit next to the object of his affections for a while. He turned his head to look at him.   
  
Harry looked even worse up close. His face was drawn and the circles under his eyes could be easily mistaken for bruises. He looked absolutely exhausted and Draco wished there were something he could do to help.   
  
"You're not sleeping well," Draco said, turning his whole body to face Harry's. It wasn't a question; Draco knew it was true.   
  
"No," came the soft reply. "I'm not."   
  
"Why?" Draco asked, unable to help himself. Maybe there  _was_  something he could do.   
  
Harry turned to him then, tilting his head to the side. "Too hot," he said, a small smile on his face. "I can't sleep in the heat."   
  
"Neither can I," Draco responded softly, reaching out to pull a leaf out of Harry's hair.   
  
"Yes, you look tired as well," Harry said, closing his eyes from just a second as Draco's hand made contact with his hair.   
  
"Tired isn't exactly the word I'd use," Draco said dryly, flicking the leaf into the air and bringing his hand back to his lap. "It's more an eternal exhaustion."  
  
"Mine, too," Harry said softly, closing his eyes again as a slight breeze blew through the trees. "Mine, too."  
  
Draco knew that there was something that Harry wasn't telling him; the heat could not be the only reason to why he wasn't sleeping. However, he wasn't going to push him. He pulled his knees up to his chest in a mirror image of Harry and rested his head on them.   
  
Neither boy said anything, simply watching the sun move across the sky.  
  
_(end chapter two)_


	3. Chapter 3

The boys sat in silence until the sun started to set.   
  
Harry shifted, turning to look at his blond companion. Malfoy was still sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, head resting on his knees. His eyes were closed, lashes brushing the tops of his flushed cheeks.   
  
_He's beautiful_ , Harry thought, then blinked.  _Beautiful_? When had that ever become a word Harry used to describe Draco  _Malfoy_?   
  
Harry sat still, mulling over the thought. He'd never really thought about his rival's physicality, but he supposed it was true. Draco Malfoy  _was_  beautiful.  
  
Harry had never really given much thought to his sexuality. He'd had a few crushes, Cho Chang in fourth year (and what a disaster  _that_  had been), Katie Bell in sixth, but nothing had ever really come of them. He'd never really had time for a relationship; he had always assumed he would die in the war.   
  
Looking upon Draco now, however, made Harry wish for a brighter future.   
  
"You're staring Potter."   
  
Harry jumped, blushing as Draco's grey eyes opened and he smirked. Luckily his cheeks were still flushed with heat, so he wouldn't be able to see Harry's embarrassment.   
  
"The sun is setting, it's going to be time for dinner soon, and I'm sorry." Harry's words came out all slurred together.   
  
Malfoy raised his head, blinking once. "You're sorry?" he repeated.   
  
Harry stood suddenly, gathering his books. "For staring." The blush on his cheeks grew brighter.   
  
Draco smirked, laughing a little. "It's okay, Harry, I'm used to being stared at. It's my penance for being gorgeous."   
  
Harry started to frown before he realized that Malfoy was joking. His eyes widened a bit as it hit him that Malfoy had called him by his given name.   
  
"You called me Harry," he said, unable to keep the awe from his voice.   
  
Draco blinked, a look of confusion moving fleetingly across his face. "Well, it is your name, isn't it?"   
  
He stood, facing Harry.   
  
Harry breathed in, inhaling the suddenly overwhelming scent of the boy in front of him. Draco smelled like cinnamon and cloves and a hint of sweat. Releasing the breath he'd been holding, he softly replied, "Yes."   
  
Raising his eyes to Draco's, Harry said, "Should we head up to the Great Hall for dinner … Draco?"   
  
Draco blinked again, a small smile on his face. "That's a great idea -  _Harry_."   
  
The two boys headed towards the school, walking side-by-side, once again in silence.   
  
When they reached the Great Hall, Harry turned to Draco. "You'll be at the  _Adversarius_  meeting tonight?"   
  
"Of course," came the smooth reply. Draco moved towards the Slytherin table. "I wouldn't miss it for the world," was tossed over his shoulder.   
  
Harry found himself smiling, watching as he sat among his housemates. Draco looked like a King among his subjects, and, Harry mused, that was probably an accurate observation.   
  
Harry weaved his way through the throngs of students still milling about the Great Hall speaking to their friends from different houses and took a seat between Ron and Hermione.   
  
"Hey, Harry," Hermione said, looking up from her book. She was about halfway through a large book entitled  _Heat Spells and Their Uses_. "Where were you? Ron and I were looking for you."   
  
"I was sitting outside, doing a bit of homework." Harry reached for the bowl of mashed potatoes, putting some on his plate. "And I don't think either of you looked very hard or you would have found me; I was sitting under the same tree I always do."   
  
He looked at his friends, making sure to smile to let them know he was joking. Hermione blushed, glancing quickly across the table at Seamus. Inwardly, Harry smirked. It was about time.   
  
Ron was looking across the Hall at his current girlfriend, Mandy Brocklehurst. "You're right Harry. We weren't really looking all that hard. We figured that you'd come inside eventually when you got hungry enough."   
  
Harry didn't reply. He considered himself truly lucky to have friends like Ron and Hermione. Both cared about him a great deal and wanted to make sure he was safe, but they knew when Harry simply needed time to himself.   
  
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't by myself anyway," Harry said, taking a bite of potatoes.   
  
"Oh?" Hermione asked, turning back to face him. "Who was with you?"   
  
"Draco," Harry said. He watched the surprised looks on the faces of his friends with glee. It wasn't often that he could surprise either of them.   
  
"Malfoy?" Ron repeated weakly.   
  
"Draco," Harry firmly corrected.   
  
"Draco," Hermione said thoughtfully, like she was testing the sound of the name on her tongue. "That's a bit of a surprise."   
  
Harry laughed. He missed the look of happiness that crossed his two friends' faces as he reached for the bowl of chicken. "Yes, I thought you'd think that."   
  
"So, how did you and Malfoy, oh sorry,  _Draco_  come to be spending the afternoon together?" Hermione asked, taking the bowl from Harry and grabbing a piece for herself.   
  
"Well, I was just sitting outside, working on a bit of homework." Harry decided to leave out the fact that while homework may have been his original intention he'd got very little done due to the fact that he'd had a massive headache. "Draco came up, saw me sitting there, and said he'd go sit somewhere else. I told him that was stupid and let him sit with me. We didn't really talk much, but it was kind of nice."   
  
His friends took a moment to digest this new information. Harry continued eating, glancing from one to the other, waiting for a response.   
  
Ron seemed to recover first. "So, you and Malfoy sat outside under a tree for-," here he glanced at his watch, "-three hours and didn't do anything?"   
  
Harry nodded his head. "Basically. He didn't ask me any questions and I didn't ask him any. It was nice to just sit with someone and not say anything. It was … relaxing."   
  
Hermione set down her fork, reaching for a roll. "Well, that's good then. You deserve some  _relaxation_ ," at this she arched an eyebrow, "and if Draco is the one to give it to you, that's fine with me. I mean, he is on our side; it's not like he's a threat to you or anything."   
  
Harry sighed. "Of course he's not a threat, Hermione. He took  _Veritaserum_ , remember? His actions hold no malice whatsoever." Harry realized he was being a bit over-dramatic but ever since the meeting where Draco had bared all he'd felt very protective of him.   
  
"We know that, Harry," Hermione interjected before he could really get himself riled up. "That's why we don't mind you spending a bit of time with him. Right Ron?" she asked, reaching behind Harry's back to hit him on the arm.   
  
"Right, right, yes. We don't mind at all Harry," piped up Ron, although his statement was said while trying unsuccessfully to mask a frown.   
  
"Please don't placate me, guys," Harry said, picking up his glass of pumpkin juice with a sigh. "I know neither of you like Draco very much, but he's different. You should both be able to see that." He took a drink. "And it's not like we're going to start spending all kinds of time with each other. We're not really even friends."   
  
Neither Ron nor Hermione said anything to that, just continued eating, and eventually began speaking between themselves, over Harry's head.   
  
_No_ , Harry thought,  _we're not friends. But oh, how I'd like us to be_. He looked across the Great Hall, his gaze connecting instantly with Draco's, and Harry, shocked by such instant eye contact, whispered quietly to himself, "I'd like us to be much more than that."   
  
***   
  
When Draco entered the  _Adversarius_  meeting that night, the first thing he noticed was the abundance of maps spread around the room. There were maps of Europe, maps of England, maps of Scotland, and maps of the United Kingdom as a whole. Draco had never seen so many maps.   
  
The  _Adversarius_  met in the Prefects lounge. It was the only place that was large enough to hold the sixteen members and could only be accessed by password. Lupin didn't want anyone who wasn't supposed to have access able to enter the room. Most of the members were either Prefects or the Head Boy or Girl, so there weren't too many extra passwords given out, and Lupin didn't really worry about the Prefects that weren't a part of the  _Adversarius_  because the members always locked up their plans and notes after each meeting. Lupin figured that students with the responsibility of Prefects wouldn't go snooping into other's things.   
  
Walking farther into the room, and without even being conscious of doing so, Draco took up his old habit of looking for Harry. He saw him standing next to Granger, Pansy, and Terry Boot. Granger was holding a quill and ruler and was drawing a series of lines on the map they were standing over. Harry was pointing out various places on the map, which were in turn circled by Pansy.   
  
Upon closer inspection, Draco saw that it was a map of the UK. Drawn on it was a diamond. Hermione was currently drawing a second diamond, which seemed to be centered on the area around Hogwarts.   
  
"What's this?" he asked curiously.   
  
"It's the locations of the Death Eater attacks," Terry replied, pointing to London. "Hermione noticed that when the points were connected, they made a diamond. The towns are all focused around centers of the magical community."   
  
Draco followed Terry's finger, seeing that this was indeed true. Each point of the diamond was on a Muggle town: Bedford, Chelmsford, Newhaven, and Reading.   
  
"Wait, there hasn't been an attack on Reading," Draco pointed out, looking up at Granger.   
  
"No, there hasn't yet. It's just a guess. There were four attacks in Scotland: Edinburgh, Stonehaven, Inverness, and Crianlarich. All four are mostly Muggle towns, and all four, when you connect them, make a diamond. The center of the diamond is Hogwarts. We are just guessing that the next Death Eater attack will be at Reading; it would make the previous attacks a pattern."   
  
Draco nodded, his gaze falling once again to the map. "Do we know when the next attack is going to take place?"   
  
Harry spoke up then, drawing Draco's attention to his face. "No, not yet. Morag hasn't been able to figure it out yet."   
  
Draco crossed his arms across his chest. "Well, hopefully she'll be able to figure it out soon." He looked across the room to the Ravenclaw, who was staring out the window. "Who knows how much time we've got."   
  
Harry nodded, looking back down at the map. "We've been trying to figure out what other magical centers there are in the UK. That way we could try to figure out where the next attacks will take place."   
  
Draco looked down at the map. "I'm not sure. Have you asked Lupin or Dumbledore?"   
  
Hermione looked up then, setting her quill on the table. "Not yet. Lupin isn't going to be here tonight; the full moon is tomorrow and he's preparing for the transformation. And Dumbledore has been at the Ministry since last Friday. We were going to ask Sirius, but we couldn't find him either."   
  
"Ah. He's with my mother," Draco said, smiling slightly. "They were going to London to see what they could do about getting her a divorce."   
  
"Oh," Hermione replied, blinking. "That's right. Sirius told us about that. Well, we better start this meeting, and see what everyone has come up with."   
  
She moved away, scooping the map up into her arms and set it in the center of the table before seating herself at one end. "Can everybody sit down so we can start, please?"   
  
Everyone immediately did as she asked, settling down in their normal spots. Draco thought it was rather funny that they still all stayed clustered in their houses. He presumed it was a force of habit.   
  
"We've had some recent developments," Harry announced in his characteristically soft voice. "We think we know where the next attack will be."   
  
"However," Hermione interjected, "we're not positive. Neither Pansy nor Mandy have been able to see anything, and Morag hasn't been able to get good readings because of the cloud cover. It's odd that it's so hot but there are still so many clouds. And the clouds only seem to appear when it gets dark, too. It's making it difficult for us to work."  
  
"The first order of business is this heat. Has anyone come up with anything that could account for it?" Harry asked, looking around the table.   
  
At this, Padma spoke up. "No, we still haven't found anything. We've looked in almost every book in the library, even in the Restricted Section. We can't seem to find anything that's even remotely relevant."   
  
Harry "hmmed", crossing off something on the list in front of him. "Okay, we're going to need to check out the rest of the books. Hannah and Ernie, would you take care of that?" He looked up at the Hufflepuffs who each nodded at him. "Good. Now, any other news?"   
  
"We've made a little progress with the Dragons. Charlie said that we were doing spectacularly well, but we still can't control them," Terry said, shifting in his chair. "We worked with them for hours today. They got us good." He held up his hands, which were wrapped in gauze, gesturing for Padma to do the same. "They're feisty things, those Dragons."   
  
"Any guess about when you  _will_  be able to control them?" Ron asked, speaking for the first time.   
  
"No, not really. Charlie isn't sure; it could take a while yet," Padma replied, looking down at her hands. "I'm not sure there will be much of me left if that's the case," she finished mournfully.   
  
Terry patted her on the shoulder, wincing slightly as the pressure hurt his hand.   
  
"Any other news?" Hermione asked, looking at Susan and Justin. "Anything in your Arithmancy calculations?"   
  
"Not really," Susan said, pushing a piece of parchment towards Harry. "We did the equations on the list of towns you gave us, but haven't been able to find any connections. We're not sure why they would have picked those specific towns, unless it was because of their proximity to Hogwarts or the fact that they are Muggle."   
  
Hermione stood behind Harry, reading over his shoulder. "Well, keep trying to figure it out, will you? We might get lucky."   
  
Susan nodded, taking the parchment back and rolling it up. "We might. There are a few more possibilities to try."   
  
"How are the Protection Charms coming along?" Harry asked, turning his attention to Ron and Lavender. "Have you been able to find anything to counteract the effects of the Dementors?"   
  
Ron shook his head, looking at Lavender. "We've been trying to make an advanced form of the Cheering Charm, but haven't been able to fine tune it yet. The feelings of a Cheering Charm aren't real, and they won't counteract the terror the Dementors cause. We're still working on it, though. Professor Lupin has been helping us, but he'll be out of commission for a few days now."   
  
"We've also been trying to create a Protection Charm," said Lavender, wiping a hand across her brow. "We've had some nice results, but haven't perfected it so we don't want to try it on anyone yet."   
  
Harry nodded, crossing something else off his list. "That's good. Keep us informed. We want to know when you get something that works."   
  
He then turned his attention to Blaise and Tracey. "And what about you two? Have you finished that Shielding Spell yet?"   
  
Blaise and Tracey were working to perfect a Shielding Spell that would protect the user from the Cruciatus curse. They'd hit a snag in their plans, however, and couldn't seem to get past it. They had created the spell and could cast it; however it sucked all the magical energy out of the user if left on for too long. It took the person nearly forty-eight hours to regain their energy, as well. They were currently trying to find a way to protect the person's magical energy but hadn't had much luck.   
  
Blaise shook his head, gesturing for Tracey to respond. "We haven't been able to find a way to protect the person's magic. We're thinking that maybe if we had an object or something that could be used to focus their energy, it wouldn't disappear when the  _Contego_  is cast. But we haven't been able to find anything that could be used."   
  
Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So, we're no further with that then we were last week." Draco could tell that Harry wasn't trying to be smart, but was simply stating the facts. Draco knew how he felt; Blaise was very frustrated as well and was ready to scrap the whole thing and start over. He'd complained to Draco that the only thing stopping him was Tracey and her assurances that they would eventually get it to work.   
  
Blaise shook his head. "No, we're no further. We've hit a wall. We really need to talk to Lupin again and see if he can help us out, although, having said that, he wasn't sure what to do when we asked him the last time. Maybe Dumbledore would have some ideas. We'll talk to him when he gets back from wherever he is."   
  
Harry nodded, again writing on his parchment. "Okay, how are we with Herbology, Ernie?"   
  
Ernie Macmillan was trying to create a hybrid plant that would create a protective barrier around Hogwarts or any other area. He'd gotten the thing to sprout, but wasn't sure if it would continue to grow. His last test plant had died within two days.   
  
Attention was then turned to Hannah, who was talking about the Transfiguration she'd performed that had changed a knight into an image of herself. This could be useful in a battle because it would confuse the enemy temporarily and allow the person performing the transformation to launch a surprise attack.   
  
At last it was Draco's turn. His breath hitched a bit as those brilliant green eyes were focused solely on him.   
  
"And what have you accomplished since we met last week?" Harry asked, never breaking eye contact.  
  
Draco cleared his throat, feeling a blush crawl up his face. He desperately hoped that it wasn't too noticeable since he was still flushed from the heat.   
  
"Well," he began, folding his hands in his lap, "I've been working on the Invincibility Potion you asked for. It's a bit more difficult to brew than I'd originally thought, but I've managed to do a fantastic job, if I do say so myself."   
  
"Yes, I'm sure you have," murmured Harry, his green eyes sparkling. He gave Draco a half smile. "And when will it be ready to try?"   
  
"Any time you want someone to try it, it's ready. It has a shelf life of a week, and I made it yesterday, so anytime before next Monday should be fine."   
  
Harry nodded, making another mark on his parchment. "Is tomorrow okay? I can try it after Potions class."   
  
"You're going to try it?" Draco asked, surprised. He hadn't given much thought to who would be taking it, and if he were honest with himself, he hadn't really cared. "What if something goes wrong?"   
  
"It won't," Harry replied confidently, looking back up at Draco. "You made it, after all, and did a 'fantastic job' right? And you haven't messed up on a potion since first year. It'll be fine. I'll be fine. Don't worry."   
  
"I'm not worried," Draco argued, although he really was very … he supposed  _concerned_  was the correct word. "I know I did a great job, it's just that you're the Boy Who Lived. I can just imagine the trouble I'd be in if something were to happen to you."   
  
"Nothing's going to happen to me," Harry said, his voice softer than normal. "I'm putting myself in your hands, and I trust you. Everything will be fine."   
  
He'd locked his beautiful green eyes with Draco's slate grey counterparts, and at that moment the rest of the  _Adversarius_  had ceased to exist. All Draco could see was Harry, and all he could hear were Harry's words -  _I trust you_.  
  
Draco blinked, surprised at his reaction to such simple words. "Thank you," he finally responded, just as softly as Harry.   
  
Harry nodded, never turning his eyes away from Draco. "I think we're done here for today. We'll meet again next week, same time. Any questions?" There were none, and the other members began to gather up their things. "Make sure you come see either Hermione or me if you have any new developments, no matter what the time is." The underlying sense of urgency was apparent in the statement.   
  
Everyone seemed to stand up at once, leaving only Draco and Harry seated. They still hadn't moved and neither wanted to even think about breaking eye contact.   
  
"Is there something I can help you with Pansy?" Harry suddenly asked, although he never turned his head. Draco suddenly realized that Pansy was standing at the door, looking at him. He could feel her eyes boring a hole into the back of his head. He inwardly groaned as he realized that she was going to have a lot of questions for him about his rather odd behavior when he got back to the Common Room.   
  
"No, Potter,  _you_  can't help me with anything. Are you coming, Draco?" she asked sharply.   
  
"No," murmured Draco, "not yet. I'll be down in a little while."   
  
"Fine," she snapped. Draco could hear the heels of her shoes clicking on the stone floor as she left the room and moved down the corridor. Across from him, Harry laughed softly.   
  
"You have interesting friends, Draco."   
  
Draco drew in a breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it. "Yes, I do. Listen Harry, are you sure you want to take the potion? I could just have Blaise or Pansy take it. That way…." he trailed off.  _That way I'd be sure that nothing could happen to you_ , he finished in his head.   
  
Harry smiled at him, reaching a hand across the table. He just barely touched the back of Draco's hand but Draco still felt the lightning run along his nerve endings. He couldn't remember ever having that reaction to a touch from someone else before. "I'll be fine, Draco. Just let me take it. I'll be here after Potions tomorrow. Have the potion ready."   
  
Harry's impenetrable gaze broke Draco's resolve and he nodded. "All right, Harry. I'll be here with the Potion. But I'm not leaving until the effects have worn off. Okay?"   
  
Harry nodded, pulling his hand back towards himself, and shrugged slightly. "Okay." He stood, gathering his books. "Thanks, Draco. Have a good evening."   
  
"You, too," Draco whispered, watching Harry as he left the room. He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table after the door had shut. "Oh, Harry, what you do to me."  
  
_(end chapter three)_


	4. Chapter 4

Divination, Harry decided, was the most pointless subject he had ever taken.   
  
He'd just sat through an hour of Professor Trelawney predicting his death. Now, after five years, Harry had become accustomed to hearing about his untimely demise, and today had been no exception. She'd told them all that Harry would die a most painful death at the hands of his worst enemy.   
  
Harry had simply rolled his eyes, Ron had snorted, and Seamus had raised his hand, saying, "No offense, Professor, but we already know that. Harry's almost been killed by his worst enemy numerous times, and it'll most likely happen again. You don't exactly have to be a Seer to know that. I mean, it's all over the  _Daily Prophet_."   
  
Lavender and Parvati had sniffed, looking like Seamus had insulted them personally. Trelawney had responded with, "It is apparent, Mr. Finnigan, that you do not believe in the Third Eye. I saw this morning that you would not take these threats against your friends seriously."   
  
Seamus had just shaken his head and turned back to the Potions text that he'd forgotten to read the night before.   
  
The rest of his morning classes had passed in a blur. He had ignored the concerned looks of Hermione and Ron, listened halfheartedly to Seamus and Dean joking between classes, and managed to sidestep Ginny Weasley's rather blatant attempt to win his affections. She'd approached him that morning talking about how perfect a match they made, his black hair the very shade of his father's and her own copper tresses a close resemblance to his mother's, and didn't he think so, too. Harry most certainly did not think so, and he'd managed to lose her in the corridor by hiding behind the knight outside the Charms classroom. The redhead had gone several more feet down the hall before she'd realized he'd left her.   
  
It was, Harry mused, a pretty typical day.   
  
After the  _Adversarius_  meeting the previous evening, Hermione and Ron had cornered Harry in the common room.   
  
"Are you sure you should take the potion?" Ron had asked.   
  
Harry hadn't replied, simply arching an eyebrow. He hadn't been surprised that they'd asked him about his intention to take Draco's potion.   
  
"Harry, what if something goes wrong? What if it doesn't work the way it should?" Hermione had pleaded, laying a hand on Harry's arm.   
  
"What you're really asking is what if it's a trap and Draco's trying to hurt me," Harry had paused to look at them, "am I right?"   
  
They'd shifted on their feet, looking down at the ground, at the wall, at each other - anywhere but at him.   
  
Harry had remained silent, wanting them to tell the truth and voice their suspicions.   
  
"Okay, yes!" Ron had finally admitted, one step short of yelling. "I don't care if he took Veritaserum. He's practiced the Dark Arts! For all we know he found a way to counteract the effects! I don't trust him, Harry, and I don't think you should either."   
  
Hermione placed a hand on Ron's shoulder, stopping him from saying anything else. "We're just concerned, Harry," she'd stated calmly. "You can't blame us for that."   
  
Harry had managed to remain calm throughout the conversation, quietly reminding himself that these were his friends and it would be wrong to hurt them in any way, and it most definitely would not be smart to hex them into oblivion and risk expulsion, because they really were the best friends anyone could ever have. But, even the best intentions can be lead astray.  
  
"All right!" Harry had yelled, cutting off Hermione in mid-recitation of Draco's many faults.   
  
Hermione and Ron had been instantly silenced, involuntarily taking a step back. They hadn't heard Harry yell in a long time.   
  
Harry took a deep breath, counting in his head from one to ten, ten to one, and one to ten again. He'd never been this angry with Ron and Hermione before, and he didn't like the way it made him feel. And he especially didn't like the fact that these feelings had been brought on because of one Draco Malfoy.   
  
"Look," Harry started, "I know you don't like Draco," Ron had snorted at this, "but I  _do_  like him, and I'd like you to trust my instincts here. I've never been wrong about people, well, with the exception of Moody and you can't blame me for that because even Dumbledore was fooled by him. But I am  _not_  wrong about Draco."  
  
"Harry," Hermione began, talking to him like he was a small child, "Malfoy isn't exactly a good person. Think of all he's done to you. Why would you want to be friends with someone who treats you like that?"   
  
"Treated," Harry got out through clenched teeth. "He  _treated_  me like that. He doesn't anymore or are you blind and can't see that?"   
  
"Now, wait a minute," Ron began, but Harry cut him off again.   
  
"No, you wait a minute, Ron. Draco hasn't done a single thing to me this year, or to you for that matter. He hasn't made a single comment about your family, or Hermione being Muggleborn. He's been nothing but polite, albeit sarcastic, but that's just the way he is. He's not the same person we've gone to school with for the past six years. He's different. He's changed. Why can't you see that?" Harry had known he was pleading, but he wanted his two best friends to at least accept the fact that his feelings for Draco had changed.   
  
"Harry, we see what he wants us to see. He puts on a façade. We have no idea who the real Draco Malfoy is. You have to admit that at least," Hermione had finally said, hands reaching out in front of her, pleadingly. "Please, Harry, don't be angry. We're just worried that you're getting in over your head. We just want you to be careful."   
  
"Hermione, I know you're concerned. But trust me on this. I know what I'm doing. He's being sincere, and he's not trying to hurt me. You saw his reaction when he realized that I'd be the one taking the potion. He was worried about me."   
  
"Yes," Hermione had replied, eyes narrowing slightly. "That was a bit odd. What exactly is going on with you two, Harry?"   
  
"There's nothing going on," Harry had responded nonchalantly. 'Not yet,' he added silently to himself. "We're just starting to get to know each other, is all. We're going to have to work closely with him and the other Slytherins, you know."  
  
"That's not what it looked like to everyone else in that meeting," Ron had interjected, ignoring the last part of Harry's statement. "You two looked ready to crawl across the table and attack each other. And I don't mean attack as in fighting. It was weird, mate."   
  
"Well, nothing happened, right? And we were not going to  _attack_  each other."   
  
"Sure looked that way," Ron had muttered, looking at Hermione for confirmation.   
  
"He's right, Harry. I don't think either of you realize the reactions you invoke in each other. You're both intimidating, and when you're together, it's kind of scary. All that power contained in two people."   
  
Harry had thought about that then, and he was still thinking about it now. He hadn't really ever thought about the reactions they brought on in each other. They were very volatile, and when they were together, there was always a chance of spontaneous combustion. Harry was just   
beginning to realize just how much they sparked each other.   
  
Sitting in the Great Hall, he automatically scanned the room in search of Draco. It was an ingrained reaction; enter a room, search for Draco. Harry supposed he'd been doing it since first year, although not always for the same reasons.   
  
Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table, again surrounded by his housemates. All of the seventh years seemed to be engrossed in books, no doubt searching for the cause of the overwhelming heat. Harry felt sweat drip down his back, and his glasses slipped again. He sighed, shoving them back up on his nose.   
  
"Hey Harry," a female voice purred in his ear. Harry turned to face Ginny Weasley, inwardly groaning. He'd thought he had gotten rid of her this morning.   
  
"Ginny," Harry said with a nod. "What can I do for you?"   
  
"Well, I was just wondering if I could sit here? There doesn't seem to be any other spots."   
  
Harry rolled his eyes, looking pointedly around the table. "There are plenty of other spots, Gin. I think you just don't  _want_  to sit anywhere else."   
  
She smiled, perching herself a bit too close to him. "I want to sit by you, Harry."   
  
"Yes, I figured that out. Look, can you move over? Your elbow is digging into my side."   
  
She pouted, trying to look fetching. "You want me to move over?"   
  
"Yes, I do." He punctuated this by shoving her away. "You're hurting my ribs."   
  
She didn't say anything else, just put some food on her plate and started eating. Harry quickly finished everything on his plate, wanting to get as far away from her as possible.   
  
"Hermione, I'm going to class," Harry announced loudly, gathering his books. "I'll see you there."   
  
She raised an eyebrow at him, and Harry answered the unasked question by tilting his head in Ginny's direction. She laughed, nodding her head. "Okay, Harry, we'll see you there in a bit."   
  
Harry nodded, heading for the doors. Anywhere that was away from Ginny Weasley was a good place to be. Even, Harry thought with a shudder, if that place was Potions.   
  
***   
  
Draco watched Harry leave the Great Hall, a small smile on his face. It was apparent that the Young Weasley had tried to lure the Golden Boy to her side once again. Draco had found Harry behind a suit of armor earlier this morning. When he'd asked why Harry was hiding, he'd received a terse reply of "Ginny" followed by some muttering about hair colors, history repeating itself and being as mad as Trelawney, all in one breath.   
  
All of Hogwarts, it seemed, had this notion that Harry and Ginny were perfect for each other. Draco tended to disagree- it was obvious to him that Harry had no interest in the young redhead. Draco had seen Harry actually cringe on occasion when she entered the room.   
  
_Yes_ , Draco thought,  _he most certainly isn't interested_.   
  
Gathering up his books, Draco stood, making to leave the room. He was stopped short by a hand on his arm.   
  
"Going somewhere, Draco?" Pansy purred, lifting her eyebrow.   
  
"Yes," he replied, trying to shake her loose. "Class."   
  
Draco had, it seemed, made quite the spectacle of himself the previous evening. Pansy had been outraged at his behavior at the  _Adversarius_  meeting, asking him what exactly he thought he was doing.   
  
There was, she'd announced loudly, so much tension between him and Harry Potter that you could have cut it with a knife. Pansy had always been a fan of idioms, Muggle or otherwise.   
  
Pansy released her hold on him, standing up as well. "Is  _Potter_  going to be your partner?" She spat the name out as if it tasted like one of Longbottom's badly-made potions.   
  
"That depends," Draco calmly replied, stepping away from the seething Slytherin.   
  
"On?"   
  
"Whether we need partners or not," Draco called over his shoulder. He quickly maneuvered his way out of the Hall, took a breath and leaned against the wall. Pansy was rather scary when she was angry.   
  
Draco pushed away from the wall, startling some first years as he stepped out of the shadows.   
  
"Sorry," he murmured, wondering when he'd started apologizing to Hufflepuffs. The girls raised their eyebrows, surprise showing on their faces. Draco couldn't help it; he smiled. That got an even more shocked reaction out of them and Draco had to refrain himself from cackling with glee.   
  
He stepped around them, heading for the Potions room. It was still unbearably hot in the corridors, even with the numerous cooling charms cast on the school. Sweat was dripping down his back and nose; it stung when it got in his eyes.   
  
The classroom itself was deserted, with the exception of Harry. Draco entered quietly, shutting the door softly behind him. He looked at the Gryffindor, pleased to be able to observe him so openly. Harry was again wearing a red shirt, but this one had stripes of gold around the collar and cuffs. His black hair was characteristically disheveled, and as Draco watched, a hand ran through the strands. The silver ring on his middle finger caught the light, momentarily blinding him.   
  
Draco blinked, looking down at his own hand. He was wearing the exact same ring on the middle finger of his own hand. The rings denoted the members of the  _Adversarius_ ; each was engraved with their name, and was to be worn on the middle digit of their wand hand. They had protection and location spells weaved into them, and were never to be taken off. They were also charmed with the  _Protean_  charm, which allowed them to pass messages to each other about meetings or anything else they needed to know.  
  
He stepped further into the room, heading toward his usual spot. At the last second, he changed his mind and stopped directly next to Harry, turning to look down at him.   
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Draco."   
  
"Harry. I was wondering…." He trailed off. It was one thing to talk to the Gryffindor at  _Adversarius_  meetings, but it was completely another to actually sit by him in class.   
  
"You were wondering if you could sit next to me," Harry finished, a knowing smile on his face.   
  
Draco, completely at a loss as to how to react to this frank statement, nodded pathetically.   
  
"Of course you can," Harry said, a full smile lighting up his face. He gestured to his left, indicating the seat next to him. "Sit."   
  
Draco sat. He offered Harry a shy smile before quickly moving to pull out his supplies. Inside, Draco was jumping in glee. Outside, his face was wearing the typical Malfoy mask.   
  
They didn't say anything else, and the other students began filing into the classroom. All of them cast looks of surprise in the direction of the two boys, but they ignored them, simply enjoying sitting near each other in public.   
  
Snape blew into the classroom, putting a temporary stop to the murmurs. He quickly explained what they would be doing, telling them to find a partner and begin. He then passed out the cooling potions they'd finished the previous day, which were to be tried while the new potion was simmering.   
  
The rest of the class was uneventful. Longbottom actually managed to keep his cauldron from exploding, but that was mostly due to fact that he was working with Thomas, who was surprisingly competent when it came to Potions.   
  
Both Draco and Harry's cooling potion had been correct, giving them a momentary reprieve from the heat, and their new potion was coming along well.   
  
By the end of class, their potion was stoppered in front of them and they were cleaned up and ready to go. Snape dismissed them, and Harry turned towards Draco, focusing fully on him for the first time. "Are you going to get the potion?"   
  
Draco nodded. "I'll meet you in the Prefects lounge in ten minutes."   
  
Harry smiled, and Draco felt himself melt into a puddle. Harry luckily didn't know this, however, and simply gathered up his things and left the classroom.   
  
Draco sighed, closing his eyes briefly to get his heart rate back under control. He opened them again, staring directly into a pair of concerned brown eyes.   
  
"God, Granger!" he exclaimed, jumping a little. "Don't sneak up on people like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack."   
  
"Pity," Weasley muttered, coming up behind her.   
  
She glared at Draco. "Make sure nothing goes wrong with the potion you're giving Harry. If something does, you'll be sorry. Very sorry." It was spoken matter-of-factly, like someone commenting on the weather.   
  
"Don't threaten me, Granger," Draco replied, angling his body so he was looking at her and Weasley. "I'm not going to let anything happen to Ha- Potter. I'm going to take the potion, too, so that should calm you a bit." He actually hadn't been planning on taking it, but he realized that doing so was really the only way to prove to everyone that he hadn't tampered with it.   
  
Granger and Weasley regarded him in shock. " _You're_  going to take the potion, too?" Weasley asked, looking at Granger in surprise.  
  
Draco sighed, exasperatedly. "Yes, Weasley, I am. Is that okay with you?"   
  
He looked between the two thirds of the infamous trio standing before him, and waited for a reply.   
  
"I … I guess," Granger finally replied.   
  
"Fantastic," Draco said sarcastically, sneering a bit. He stepped around the two stunned Gryffindors, and headed out the door. Sometimes he  _really_  hated Harry's friends. He stopped by the Slytherin dorms, grabbed the potion, and headed to the Prefects Lounge.   
  
When he got there, Harry was waiting for him, sitting on the sofa with his legs propped up on the coffee table in front of him. "Hey," Harry said, greeting him.   
  
"Hey," Draco repeated, setting the potion on the table. "So, are you ready?"   
  
Harry nodded, moving to stand next to him. "What should I expect with this potion?"   
  
"Well, it's going to be icy cold when you first take it, kind of like those Ice Mice they sell in Hogsmeade. And it isn't going to taste very good, either, but it's not as horrible as some of the stuff we've had to take for Snape." Draco's hands shook a little as he opened the flask. He poured a small amount into each of the glasses in front of him, handing one to Harry.   
  
"You're taking it, too." It wasn't a question. Harry looked at him. "Hermione and Ron said something to you, didn't they." That also wasn't a question.   
  
Draco shrugged. "I figured it would placate everyone if I just took it, too."   
  
Harry shook his head, closing his eyes in resignation. "This is so ridiculous," Harry said softly, sighing. "They just don't see."   
  
"See?" Draco asked.   
  
Harry opened his eyes again. "See," he repeated. "They don't see that you're different." Harry shook his head again, waving away any reply Draco would have made. "Let's do this."   
  
Draco nodded, raising his glass slightly. "Cheers," he said dryly, clinking his glass against Harry's.   
  
They both tossed the potion back, choking slightly on the taste.   
  
"Yuck," Harry said, setting his glass down. "That's awful. Although, it isn't as bad as Polyjuice."   
  
"You'd know this how?" Draco asked, setting his glass down with a grimace. His stomach started to churn. He was very sensitive to potions and hated the way they made him feel.   
  
"Ah," Harry replied, brushing off the question. "Never mind."   
  
Draco smirked, laughing a little. "Of course."   
  
They waited in silence, until finally Harry said, "I feel a little different."   
  
"You should," Draco replied, turning to face the Gryffindor. "A side effect is that the potion makes you more aware of your surroundings which is not necessarily a bad thing."   
  
Draco looked at the boy in front of him. He could see the individual strands of hair on Harry's head, the way they keep falling forward into his emerald eyes. Draco could actually see the individual greens that made up his eyes, realizing for the first time that they weren't simply a straight green at all. He felt himself being pulled into their depths, and was scared to continue, but terrified to stop. All he could see was Harry, all he could hear was the other boy's breathing, and all he could smell was his scent. Harry smelled like grass and lemons; he smelled clean, and Draco wanted to bury himself in the smell forever.   
  
He was pulled from his musing by a soft hand on his face. Harry was currently running his fingertips over Draco's face and was staring directly into Draco's eyes.   
  
Draco blinked. "I think it's working."   
  
"Hmm, yes," Harry replied, reluctantly dropping his hand. "So," he said, turning away. "How do we know for sure?"   
  
"Well," Draco began, "the Invincibility potion is supposed to protect you from harm. So…." he trailed off, not sure how to word his suggestion.   
  
"So, you should try to hurt me and see if you succeed," Harry again finished for him, the beginnings of a smirk playing on his face. "So, try to hurt me."   
  
Draco sighed, closing his eyes. "I don't really want to hurt you, Harry," he said softly.   
  
The hand was back on his face, just for an instant, as Harry murmured, "I know."  
  
Draco's eyes opened at the contact, but Harry turned, looking around the room. "It has to be something physical, right? Something not magic-based?"  
  
Draco shook his head a bit and focused on what Harry was saying. "Right. It won't protect against magic. Not yet, anyway. I'm working on it."  
  
Harry nodded, then turned slightly towards him. "So what do you want to do?"   
  
Draco laughed. This whole conversation was so absurd. "Are you listening to yourself?"   
  
Harry shrugged. "Yes, I realize this all sounds a little odd. Last year I never would have even suggested we find something to give to you so that you could purposely injure me with it."   
  
"I could try to stab you with this letter opener." Draco was holding the Phoenix letter opener that belonged to Lupin, waving it in Harry's direction.   
  
"You could," Harry said with a grin. "But then I get to return the favor."   
  
"Of course," Draco replied smoothly. "It's only fair." It was said knowing full well that if the potion didn't work and Harry was injured, he would never consciously stab Draco knowing that it would hurt him.   
  
Harry stood in front of him, eyes staring unblinkingly into Draco's own. "Well, let's do it, then."   
  
Draco drew in a breath, aware of the reaction Harry's proximity caused in him. "Here we go," he murmured. He moved closer to Harry, letter opener gripped in his hand. He noticed as he raised his arm that his fingers were shaking slightly. He couldn't believe how scared he was to do this. He could remember a time not too long ago where he would be jumping in joy to have a chance to hurt Harry without fear of immediate consequence.  
  
But not anymore.   
  
Steeling himself, he stabbed the letter opener into the Harry's left shoulder.   
  
"Hmm," said Harry, looking into Draco's eyes. "That's interesting. I can't even feel it."   
  
Draco blinked, mouth agape. He couldn't believe Harry was being so calm about this.   
  
"Well, pull it out." Harry was smiling.   
  
Draco quickly obliged. The only sign that he'd just stabbed Harry was the small hole in his shirt.   
  
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but never got the chance as Draco immediately began to pull at the collar of his shirt. Draco was frantic; he needed to be absolutely sure that Harry was okay.   
  
"Draco," protested Harry, a small grin on his face.   
  
"Hush, Harry," was the terse reply. Draco growled when he couldn't get the collar over far enough to see the other boy's shoulder. He quickly undid the buttons on Harry's shirt; Harry raised his chin a little to allow easier access.   
  
Draco gave an "ah-ha" of triumph as he finally was able to see the shoulder. He ran the tips of his fingers over the spot where the letter opener had penetrated the skin. Draco refused to allow his body to blush as the other boy shivered at the contact.  
  
"Well, it worked," Harry announced, a little breathlessly.   
  
"It did." Draco picked up the letter opener that had fallen to the ground in his desperate search to make sure that Harry was okay. "It's your turn now." He handed the opener to Harry.   
  
Harry took it, tossing it between his hands. "You know, I don't think I need to stab you."   
  
It was said so calmly that Draco had to laugh. "Well, that's good then. But that was the deal. Go ahead and do it."   
  
"No," Harry murmured, shaking his head. "I'm not going to. We know it works. And.…" He trailed off, looking down at the floor.   
  
"And?" Draco prompted, placing his fingers under Harry's chin and making him raise his face to meet his own. Harry still turned his eyes away.   
  
"Harry, look at me," Draco softly commanded. Those brilliant green eyes slowly slid over, and up Draco's face to lock on his own.   
  
"And I just can't hurt you. I don't  _want_  to hurt you," Harry said softly.   
  
Draco drew in a breath, slowly dropping his hand. "Okay, then. I can't say that I'm too upset about that fact." He laughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood.   
  
Harry shook his head. "I don't."   
  
He took a step back, putting some distance between himself and Draco. Draco watched him intently.   
  
Harry was looking around the room, doing everything he could to avoid looking at Draco. He was still tense and he looked absolutely exhausted. Draco quietly walked across the room, standing directly behind him. He gently laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, applying pressure to turn him around. Harry didn't say anything, letting Draco button up his shirt. Draco then took out his wand and whispered something softly. The hole in Harry's shirt promptly disappeared.   
  
"Thank you," Harry whispered.   
  
Draco nodded and looked at his watch. "The effects should be worn off in another ten minutes."   
  
Harry nodded, seeming to break out of the trance he'd been in. He sat on the sofa, motioning for Draco to join him.   
  
They sat quietly for the remainder of the time, casting sideways glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. Of course, both caught the glances. The ten minutes finally ran out.   
  
"Do you still feel different?" Draco asked, turning to fully face his companion.   
  
"No," Harry replied with a frown. "Completely back to normal. You?"   
  
"Normal," Draco responded. He looked at his watch again. "It's almost time for dinner and I have to run the rest of the potion back to my room before I eat."   
  
Harry nodded, a pensive look on his face. "I guess I'll let everyone know that the potion worked." He gave a bark of laughter that sounded quite a lot like Sirius'. "And that you didn't kill me."   
  
Draco smirked. "That's probably a good idea. You know I wouldn't want anyone to worry."   
  
Harry took one look at the innocent expression on Draco's face and started laughing. "Oh, I'm sure not," he said. "Sometimes you're too much."   
  
"I am, aren't I?" Draco replied with an arrogant toss of his head. "Anyway, let's get out of here. You have friends to talk to, and I have work to do."   
  
Harry stood up, still laughing slightly. "I'll see you at dinner, then."   
  
"Yes," Draco agreed. He opened the door, stepping into the corridor and holding the door for Harry.   
  
"Later then," Harry said with a slight wave. He turned down the corridor, heading for the main staircase. Draco followed his retreating figure with his eyes, breathing deeply. He was slowly losing any control he'd previously had. He'd wanted to kiss Harry more than once while under the influence of the potion, but hadn't allowed himself to give in to the craving. He wanted Harry to make the first move. But it was getting harder and harder to wait. Draco's patience, which had never been a strong point in his character to begin with, was running out. He wanted Harry Potter.   
  
And he wanted him now.  
  
_(end chapter four)_  



	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week was uneventful. The days were still unbearably hot, and the nights weren't much better. The staff and students of Hogwarts were looking haggard and drawn; there was very little laughter and even fewer smiles. Classes seemed to pass slowly, the hours feeling like they went on for days. Everyone seemed to be dragging themselves through their daily routines.  
  
Harry figured that he'd lost some weight. He'd either sweated it off or lost it by not eating. The majority of his appetite had left him midweek. He found himself picking at his food during meals instead of eating, and noticed nearly everyone else in the Great Hall doing the same thing. He attributed his own loss of appetite to the immense heat, but there was one other thing that could also have something to do with it, one other worry that was weighing on his mind.  
  
Draco.   
  
Harry hadn't really talked to Draco since the potion trying, but that really wasn't all that odd; they only had three classes together after all. And it was crazy to think that Draco was purposely avoiding him.   
  
Wasn't it?   
  
Harry wasn't sure and it was starting to frustrate him. He and Draco had been getting along so well, sharing jokes and spending time together, that he wasn't sure what exactly had happened, but he thought it must have had something to do with what had happened when they'd tried the Invincibility potion. He'd felt extremely strange while under its influence, and had found himself doing things that he ordinarily would not have done. He wondered if Draco had felt the same way and was not feeling awkward about it, as things just seemed more stilted whenever they did run across each other.  
  
Draco was of course still being civil to him and had partnered Harry in Potions twice, but they weren't talking to each other as freely as they had been. And frankly Harry was starting to get a little angry about it.   
  
It was time he had a chat with one Draco Malfoy.   
  
He was pulled from his internal rant by Ron, who had tapped him on the arm and was looking at him oddly.   
  
"You all right, mate?" Ron asked, concern apparent in his voice.   
  
Harry raised an eyebrow in response.   
  
"You were tapping your foot and smashing your quill," Ron explained, looking at him closely. "You sure you're okay?"   
  
Harry looked down at the quill in his hands. He had indeed smashed the feather and the tip had split, leaking ink onto his parchment. Harry rolled his eyes, muttering a Cleaning spell. Stupid  _Draco_.   
  
"I'm fine, Ron," he finally responded, setting the damaged quill down gently on the table. "I was just thinking, that's all."   
  
Ron gave him a look that told Harry Ron thought he was barmy. "About?" he asked, a small smile on his face.   
  
_Draco_ , Harry thought instantly, but he shoved that thought quickly away. "Just things," he responded instead, waving his hand to dismiss his friend's concerns.   
  
The two boys were sitting in the library, with orders from Hermione to study for their N.E.W.T.'s, although the tests were still four months away. Hermione herself was completing her rounds of the school, which she'd haughtily told Ron when he had complained that she wasn't studying so they shouldn't have to either.   
  
Harry himself was not actually studying, but was trying to complete his Transfiguration paper, which was on the Animagus transformation. The topic itself wasn't difficult; Harry had inherited his father's ability to transform and could take the form of a red fox easily. He knew the history behind the transformation and the steps to complete it. His problem was his lack of concentration. He was so hot that all he could seem to think about was his body temperature and the fact that all he wanted was to cool down. And what little of his brain was left was too busy thinking of a certain blond Slytherin to be of any help to Harry and his paper writing.   
  
There wasn't anything immediate that Harry could do about the heat, but he could definitely do something about Draco. He had Astronomy that night with him and Harry was going to make sure Draco didn't get away before he talked to him.   
  
"Harry?" Ron asked.   
  
Harry looked up sharply. "What?" He winced a little, realizing he sounded defensive. "What?" he tried again, a bit more gently.   
  
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're all right? You seem to be off in your own world."   
  
Harry nodded, dropping his gaze to the essay in front of him. "I'm just tired, Ron," he replied, rolling up the parchment and screwing the cap on his inkbottle. "Come on, we have to go to Astronomy."   
  
Astronomy was a required class for fifth years and above. Dumbledore's reason was that he wanted his students to have "a knowledge of the stars". Harry wasn't too sure if that was the true reason, but couldn't come up with any other ideas. He also didn't mind as he found the subject rather interesting. Unlike the rest of their required subjects, Astronomy classes weren't taught by houses. The students were "randomly" placed, although Harry knew the old headmaster too well to believe even for a second that anything he decided upon was randomly done so. There were two sections for each year level; Harry and Ron's section met Mondays and Fridays.   
  
Ron gathered up his things, shooting one more look at Harry before shrugging his shoulders. Harry sighed inwardly in relief, grateful that his friend seemed to have dropped the conversation. He definitely did not want to get into the real reason he was "in his own world". He imagined that Ron would not like the thoughts that were currently running through Harry's head.   
  
The two boys walked up the stairs in silence. Harry cast a sideways glance at Ron. He was chewing on his bottom lip, looking thoughtful.   
  
"Harry?" Ron began hesitantly. Seeming to make up his mind, he reached out and laid a hand on Harry's forearm to stop him. "You know you can tell me anything, right? Whatever you're thinking, you can tell me. I'm your friend, Harry. Maybe I can help you out."   
  
Harry hid a smile. Ron was flushed red with embarrassment, his face nearly the same shade as his hair. Harry clapped Ron hard on the shoulder. "I know, Ron," he said. "Thanks."   
  
Ron nodded, shuffling his feet a bit. He was not really known for expressing his emotions. Harry started walking again, Ron falling into step next to him. The rest of the journey was completed in silence. As they climbed the stairs, Harry thought about what Ron had said. He couldn't even imagine what his friend's reaction would be if Harry told him he liked Draco. Or rather, Harry amended, he  _could_  imagine it and the thought made him wince. Ron would  _not_  be too happy.   
  
They finally reached the classroom and Harry opened the door. Professor Sinistra was in the center of the room wearing sleeveless blue robes. She was currently trying to set up a large telescope but seemed to be having some trouble. She wasn't very tall and was trying to screw the end of the scope on; needless to say, it wasn't working, and Harry could tell she was getting frustrated. She spied Ron as soon as he entered the room, though, and a smile appeared on her face.   
  
"Oh, Mr. Weasley," she said, sweeping forward and grabbing Ron's arm. "Perfect timing. Would you put this piece on the end there?" She indicated the spot. "I'm afraid I'm not quite tall enough."   
  
Harry laughed as the Professor seemed one step short of batting her eyes at Ron, who was once again blushing fiercely.   
  
"Seems Weasley has an admirer," a deep voice purred in Harry's ear.   
  
Harry jerked around, finding himself eye-to-eye with Draco. "Seems that way, yes," he finally stammered after regaining a little of his composure. Lately it seemed like Draco's voice never ceased to cause a reaction in him.   
  
"Care to be partners?" Draco asked, an eyebrow raised in question.   
  
Harry found himself speechless for a moment and mentally smacked himself. There was no reason to get flustered with Draco simply  _speaking_  to him.   
  
"Sure," he finally responded, shifting his gaze to the telescope on Draco's left. "What are we doing?"   
  
Draco shrugged noncommittally. "She hasn't said yet - just told us to find partners."   
  
Harry nodded. Once the telescope was properly set up, Professor Sinistra gathered the class in the center of the room, going over instructions and using the telescope for a demonstration. She then told them to get to work.   
  
Harry used the telescope to take the readings and Draco wrote down the information. Their goal was to figure out the ages of the stars in the sky. There were ten pairs of students and each pair had a different part of the sky to look at. The results would then be combined to show the ages of every star in the sky. It was rather tedious work and Harry was glad when they finally finished.   
  
Harry glanced around the room at the other pairs of students. He caught Morag's eye, stifling a laugh as the Ravenclaw rolled her eyes, clearly bored with the assignment. She was paired with Hannah Abbot, who seemed to be having trouble getting the telescope in focus. After several more minutes went by, Morag finally pushed her to the side, completing the readings herself with a shake of her head.   
  
When Harry turned back to his own telescope, he found Draco staring at him. There were red splotches high up on his cheekbones and his grey eyes were unblinking. Draco moved suddenly, picking up his quill and turning back to his parchment. He wrote a few words down then looked back up, his expression unreadable.   
  
"You look hot," Harry said without thinking. Draco's response was a raised eyebrow and a smirk, which rapidly turned into a wide grin as Harry's face bloomed into color.   
  
"I, I mean … er," Harry tried, putting his face in his hands. "God, I didn't mean…." He trailed off. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath.   
  
Harry's flustered reaction caused Draco to laugh, which drew some startled glances from the students near them.   
  
"Harry," Draco said once his laughter was under control, reaching up to gently pull Harry's hands away from his face, "I'm very flattered that you think I'm hot."   
  
"I was just referring to the temperature," Harry replied, embarrassment still showing clearly on his face.   
  
Draco patted his back lightly. "Oh, relax, Harry. You're the first person to make me laugh today."   
  
Harry gave him a long look, picking up the parchment from the table. He quickly changed the subject. "Is this finished?"   
  
Draco nodded. "Put it on the table with the others and then we can go."   
  
Harry turned to put the parchment in the pile but got worried that Draco would leave before they could talk.   
  
"Draco," he said, turning around so quickly that he bumped into Lisa Turpin, who was working at the telescope next to him. "Sorry," he murmured to her.   
  
Draco looked up in surprise. Harry realized that that was the first time he'd ever called Draco by his first name in front of others.  
  
"Harry," Draco responded, tilting his head to the side.   
  
"Could I…." He trailed off.  _Come on Harry_ , he scolded himself.  _You're a Gryffindor. Where is your courage?_    
  
Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Could I see you in the Prefect lounge in ten minutes? I have something I need to talk to you about."   
  
Harry noticed some of the other students near them staring wide-eyed in amazement. He supposed he'd surprised them a bit with the question. Draco seemed stunned speechless. He stared at Harry for a moment before returning to the calm indifference he naturally exuded. "Sure," he responded nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll see you in ten minutes."   
  
Harry laughed a little. Draco made it sound like it was  _his_  idea to meet. Harry turned, placing the parchment in the pile on the table. He grabbed his things, practically running down the stairs in his rush to get to the Gryffindor common room. He greeted the Fat Lady, spoke the password, and rushed up the stairs to his dormitory. He dropped his things on his bed and quickly ran a brush through his hair, trying to make himself look a bit more presentable. After a moment he threw the brush back down in defeat as it was having little effect on his unruly locks. He sighed exasperatedly, trying to smooth down the front with his hands, but quickly gave up. There was just no hope for it.   
  
He ran out the door and promptly crashed into Dean who was coming up the stairs. The other boy dropped his books in the collision, but Harry didn't stop, instead calling out a hurried, "Sorry!"  
  
Dean shook his head, gathering up his books. He smiled, saying softly to himself, "Looks like someone's got a date."   
  
***   
  
After leaving the Astronomy Tower, Draco immediately made his way to the Prefects lounge.   
  
The floor length picture that protected the entrance depicted a battle scene from one of the many Goblin Wars. It slid open smoothly at Draco's softly whispered, "Veritas."   
  
As he entered he noticed two Hufflepuff fifth year prefects. They noticed him, too, and promptly began gathering up their things.   
  
"You need the lounge?" the girl asked. She was dressed in a yellow dress, her red hair pulled up on the top of her head. She spoke with a lilting Irish accent. She was, Draco noticed disinterestedly, rather pretty.   
  
"Yes," he responded after giving her a cursory once over. "Thanks."   
  
She nodded, nudging the boy she was with towards the door. "No problem. We were done here anyway." She glanced over her shoulder as she left, blushing slightly.   
  
_Oh, God_ , Draco thought.  _I think she's got a crush on me_. He smiled faintly at the thought. "Crushing Hufflepuffs," he said out loud to the empty room.   
  
The painting behind him chose that moment to slide open, startling him. Harry stepped through, smiling slightly at Draco.   
  
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said, the grin on his face belying his words.   
  
"You didn't," Draco said arrogantly.   
  
Harry raised an eyebrow in response, smirking. "Of course not."   
  
Draco stepped swiftly across the room, putting some distance between himself and his companion. He knew why Harry wanted to talk to him. He'd been avoiding the other boy ever since the potion-trying debacle. Draco was finding it harder and harder to keep his hands off Harry. In fact, he'd been consoling himself with simple touches; hands brushing "accidentally" while mixing Potions or bumping shoulders momentarily in the corridors. Harry probably thought that those touches were coincidental, but they had in fact been planned out to the very last detail. Draco needed the physical contact with Harry to make it through the day.   
  
And today in Astronomy had felt like heaven. Being able to touch Harry had been wonderful, and it was even better to have flustered him a bit as well.   
  
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Draco calmly asked, although his insides were screaming in panic.   
  
"Oh, well, I haven't really seen you much since we tried the potion," Harry said, taking a step towards Draco. "I wanted to make sure everything was all right."   
  
Harry was blushing and Draco inwardly sighed at the way the infusion of color added to the boy's good looks. Harry honestly had no idea how good he looked right now.  
  
Draco felt almost giddy, looking at Harry. He was appalled. Malfoy's  _did not_  get giddy over something like a crush. Although, if he were honest with himself, he knew it was probably much more than that, but that was yet another thought for another time.  
  
"Sorry?" Draco said, shaking his head to clear away his thoughts. Harry had said something else that had caused him to blush even more.   
  
"I said I was wondering if you were avoiding me," Harry muttered, dropping his eyes to the floor.   
  
Draco sighed. He wanted to gather him into his arms and hold him forever. The urge was almost as strong as the one that had gripped him in the Astronomy Tower earlier. He'd wanted to kiss Harry senseless right there in front of everyone.   
  
Draco laughed a little at that thought. He was dreaming of kissing Harry Potter in the Astronomy Tower. How terribly clichéd.  
  
Draco realized that Harry was looking at him strangely. He must have laughed out loud.   
  
"The truth is, Harry, that I  _was_  avoiding you." Draco watched as his face fell.   
  
"Oh," Harry replied in a small voice, looking down slightly. He raised pleading eyes to Draco, taking another small step forward. "Why?"   
  
Draco felt something inside him snap at the hurt in those emerald eyes. He couldn't bear to be the cause of Harry's pain. The last hold on his tenuous restraint broke.   
  
"Because Harry," he said softly, stepping closer to him. "Every time I'm near you it makes me want to do something. Something I'm not sure I should do. Something you might get angry with me about."   
  
Harry was a bit breathless when he asked, "What?"   
  
Draco moved fluidly across the room, closing the distance between himself and Harry. He stopped directly in front of the other boy. He raised his hands, trapping Harry's face between them. Harry was staring at him wide-eyed and Draco again found himself captivated by the emerald gaze.   
  
"This," Draco said, leaning forward and capturing Harry's lips with his own. The first touch was pure ecstasy and it shot directly to Draco's heart. Before he could get completely carried away though, a small rational part of his brain spoke up, and Draco broke the kiss.   
  
"That's why, Harry," he said, looking into the dazed green eyes in front of him and running a thumb along Harry's cheekbone, feeling the heat beneath his palm. "That's why."   
  
Before Harry could say a word, Draco turned on his heel and fled out of the room. If he'd bothered to stay, he would have heard Harry murmur, "Oh," in an awed voice and seen him run shaking fingers across his lips.  
  
_(end chapter five)_


	6. Chapter 6

 After Draco had run out of the room, Harry had sat for quite some time trying to make sense of what had just happened. He'd kissed a few people in his seventeen years. He'd kissed Hermione a couple of times over Christmas Break in fifth year before they'd both decided they were much better off as friends, and then there was the rather uncomfortable first kiss with Cho Chang, and the much better one with Katie Bell at the end of sixth at the Leaving Ball. He was therefore quite sure that it didn't usually result in one of the people fleeing the room. 

In fact, he was  _sure_  it didn't.   
  
After the confusion had come the anger. How dare Draco kiss him and run off! How dare he not explain himself! He was probably in his common room laughing at Harry with the other Slytherins. How dare he make Harry feel this way! How  _dare_  he not let Harry kiss him back!   
  
He had thrown quite a few things across the lounge. He'd shattered Professor Lupin's snowglobe, promptly felt guilty about it, and then fixed it with  _Reparo_. He managed to throw several books across the room before Hermione's voice had entered his head and chastised him for his mistreatment of important information. And he caused several vases and picture frames to explode, which of course he'd immediately fixed. And he'd done it all with wandless magic. The ability always seemed to appear when he was feeling an emotion strongly. At least he hadn't ended up on the rooftops, like he had when he was younger.   
  
After the anger had come a realization.   
  
Draco was not playing around with Harry's emotions.   
  
Draco was not laughing at Harry with the other Slytherins.   
  
Draco was scared. Scared that Harry wouldn't kiss him back. Scared that Harry didn't feel the same way. Scared that  _Harry_  would be the one to go back to his common room and laugh with his friends.   
  
Calm, arrogant, self-centered Draco Malfoy was  _scared_.   
  
Of course, there was no reason for Draco to be scared. Harry wanted to kiss him. Harry wanted to be with him. Hell, Harry definitely felt the same way. The desire may have hit him suddenly, but it wasn't any less true, and if anything had been growing stronger every day since trying the Invincibility potion.  
  
He glanced at his watch. It was now midnight. Ron and Hermione would no doubt be wondering where he was.   
  
He pulled himself off the sofa, running his fingers through his hair. He left the lounge and headed for Gryffindor Tower, keeping close to the shadows and listening for every noise. He did not feel like running into Filch or his cat tonight. The corridors were still ridiculously hot, even though the sun had gone down over five hours ago. A trickle of sweat dripped down the side of Harry's face, and he impatiently brushed it away.  
  
He reached the entrance to the common room and greeted the sleepy Fat Lady.   
  
"Password?" she asked, hiding a yawn behind her hand.   
  
"Golden snitch," he answered, a smile on his face. "Goodnight."   
  
"Goodnight, dear," she said, swinging open.   
  
Harry crawled through. As soon as his feet hit the floor, he was grabbed by Ginny.   
  
"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I looked everywhere for you. Dean said you had a date."   
  
Harry raised an eyebrow, allowing her to pull him away from the portrait hole. "A date?"   
  
"Yes," she accused, jabbing her finger into his breastbone. "And it wasn't with me."   
  
He moved her hand, rubbing at the spot she'd poked. "Ginny, I wasn't on a date."   
  
"Oh," she said, full of charm once more. "I didn't think you were."   
  
"Hmm," Harry replied, rolling his eyes. He stepped around her. "Look, Ginny, we need to talk."   
  
"Oh?" she asked, batting her brown eyes in a way she most likely thought was flattering but Harry thought made her look like she was having a seizure.   
  
"Yes," he responded, sitting on the sofa. "Sit, please." He indicated the spot next to him.   
  
She sat, curling a long leg beneath her. She had her hair pulled up high on her head and, like everyone else at Hogwarts, her cheeks were flushed from the heat. "Well?"   
  
Harry chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip for a moment before responding. "See, Ginny, the thing is that I don't like you the way you seem to like me."   
  
She tilted her head to the side, waiting for more.   
  
"I don't have any interest in dating you," he elaborated. "Ever."   
  
She sighed, leaning back against the sofa. "Oh, Harry, I know that. I just keep hoping that if I'm persistent that I'll change your mind."   
  
Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry Ginny. That's not going to happen."   
  
She shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying." She stood up, leaning over to brush a kiss over Harry's cheek. "I'm always going to have a crush on you, you know. One never forgets their first love."   
  
He laughed slightly. "I know - and thanks Ginny. For understanding."   
  
She nodded, reaching out and ruffling his hair. "Goodnight, Harry."   
  
"Goodnight," he said softly, watching her walk up the stairs to the dormitory. She really was a very pretty girl; he just wasn't interested in her. Or any girl for that matter. Closing his eyes he leaned his head against the back of the sofa. Then he remembered something Ginny had said.  _Dean said you had a date_.   
  
Harry thought it might be a good idea to talk to Dean tomorrow. He stood up and stretched, feeling his tired muscles pull slightly. The portrait hole opened, and Harry turned as Ron and Hermione crawled through.   
  
"Harry!" she exclaimed, walking quickly over to him. "Where have you been?"   
  
"We looked all over for you," Ron supplied with a grin.   
  
"I was in the Prefects Lounge." He didn't see the need to supply any more information than he had to.   
  
"Doing what?" Hermione asked, causing Harry to groan. Of course  _she_  would want more information. She looked pointedly at her watch. "You've been gone for three hours."   
  
Harry shrugged. "I was working on a few things. You're the one who says we need to study more."   
  
She pursed her lips, causing Ron to stifle a laugh. Giving Harry a long look, she said, "Whatever Harry."   
  
Harry sighed, knowing with certainty that she didn't believe him. Crookshanks suddenly appeared on the stairs, meowing loudly. Hermione smiled, picking up the large, ginger cat. "I'm going to bed," she announced, heading up the stairs. "Goodnight, boys."   
  
Both murmured "goodnight" and headed up the stairs to their own dormitory.   
  
"Did you really have a date?" Ron asked suddenly, turning to face Harry.   
  
"No," Harry said exasperatedly. "I suppose you heard that from Dean?"   
  
"Ginny, actually. She was pretty hacked off about it." The statement was made with a large grin.   
  
"Yes, well, I had a chat with Ginny. There will be no more tantrums on her part."   
  
Ron shook his head, laughing. "My sister is one of a kind."   
  
Harry didn't think that statement warranted a comment. He reached around Ron and opened the door to the bathroom. Both boys stepped in, brushing their teeth and washing their faces. They finished the walk to their dormitory and Ron headed towards his bed.   
  
"Night, mate," he said with a yawn.   
  
"Night," Harry replied. He stripped off his clothes, throwing them in a pile on the floor. He pulled on a pair of pajama pants, as that was all he could tolerate sleeping in with the heat, set his glasses on the nightstand, and fell into bed. With a muttered spell, his curtains fell shut. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.   
  
After what felt like only a few minutes, he was roughly shaken awake by Ron.   
  
"Harry, it's time for breakfast," Ron said, giving him one more shake. "Get up." Ron reached up and fully opened the curtains around Harry's bed.  
  
Harry groaned, forcing his eyes open. They immediately shut again as the light coming in through the window nearly blinded him. "What time is it?"   
  
Ron laughed, reaching down and pulling him into a sitting position. "Eight o'clock. Get up. We want to go eat." He handed Harry his glasses, which were promptly slid on.   
  
"I actually slept the whole night," Harry murmured in awe. "That's rather amazing." He stumbled out of bed, reached blindly for some clothes in his wardrobe, and headed towards the showers.   
  
He managed to shower without falling back to sleep and dried off quickly, rubbing the towel over his hair to get rid of the excess water. He reached for his boxers, tugging them on. It was stiflingly hot in the showers, due not only to the intense heat, but the steam as well. He used the end of his towel to wipe off the mirror, and reached up with both hands to brace himself against it. He studied his reflection; he still had large dark circles under his eyes, even with the seven hours of sleep he'd gotten the previous night.   
  
"You look tired, dear," the mirror helpfully told him.   
  
"I am," he muttered, turning away. He pulled the rest of his clothes on, placed his glasses on the bridge of his nose, brushed his teeth, and then went to work on his hair. After only a few moments, he sighed in resignation. There was just no hope for it.   
  
He returned to his room, throwing his pajamas on the bed. It was perhaps even hotter in here because there were several windows around the room, sunshine streaming in each. Ron was sitting on his own bed reading  _Quidditch Through the Ages_  for what must have been   
the hundredth time, cheeks flushed. This had become a trademark for everyone at Hogwarts; people were beginning to do double takes if someone  _didn't_  appear to be flushed from the heat.   
  
"Ready?" Ron asked, marking his page. Harry nodded, picking his watch up off the nightstand and fastening it around his wrist, noticing it was already half eight. Grabbing his wand, he replied, "Let's go."   
  
Ron led the way down the stairs, greeting Hermione in the common room. She was wearing a simple blue sundress with her hair pulled up on the top of her head; since they didn't have classes students weren't expected to dress in their house colors. She was, as always, carrying a large book. The trio walked leisurely out of Gryffindor Tower, making inane conversation.   
  
Entering the Great Hall, Harry immediately looked for Draco. He wasn't present, and neither was most of his house. This wasn't odd, though, as half the school usually didn't make it down for breakfast on Saturdays.   
  
He ate quickly, ignoring the curious looks from Ron and Hermione who no doubt wanted to know why he was rushing his way through a breakfast he normally slept through. He needed to talk to Draco, and he didn't want to wait. Swallowing the rest of his orange juice in one gulp, he stood up.   
  
"Going somewhere, Harry?" Hermione asked without looking up from her book.   
  
"Yes," he responded. "I'm going to finish my Animagus essay."   
  
Hermione arched a brow, still not looking up. Ron gave him an odd look. "Where?" he asked. "Just in case we need to find you," he hastily added at Harry's questioning look. Hermione hid a laugh behind a cough.   
  
Harry grinned in response, shaking his head. "I'll be around," he said, winking at his two friends. "Just around."   
  
Hermione finally looked up, giving an exasperated, "Harry." He ignored her, weaving his way out of the Great Hall. He headed down the stairs toward the Slytherin common room. He really had no idea how he was going to actually get Draco to talk to him, since he was pretty sure the other Slytherins wouldn't just let him in. Maybe if he asked nicely? Harry snorted at the thought. He doubted that would work either.   
  
By this time he'd reached the entrance. He raised his hand to knock, but realized that pounding on the stone wall wouldn't yield him any results except an extremely sore hand.   
  
"Malfoy!" he yelled instead, figuring that the Slytherins would eventually get tired of him shouting in the corridor. "Come out here! We have something to discuss!"   
  
Harry figured that this wasn't too bad of an excuse; he and Draco still occasionally got into arguments over things, so the Slytherins hopefully wouldn't think anything of it. Of course, Harry didn't usually stand outside rival common rooms, yelling at the top of his voice, but hopefully no one would really question it this particular time.   
  
There was no immediate response but Harry didn't let that deter him. "Malfoy, open the door!"   
  
Just as he got the urge to kick the wall, it slid open and a disgruntled Pansy Parkinson stood before him. She was still in her nightclothes, a purple silk dressing gown on over them. Harry really didn't have much of a desire to see Pansy in her nightgown, and really didn't want to be talking to her regardless. "And to what do we owe this pleasure, Potter?" she finally asked with false politeness, after giving him a once over.   
  
Harry got along fairly well with most of the Slytherin  _Adversarius_  members, with the one exception of Pansy. They had never seen eye-to-eye and she no doubt disapproved of Draco spending so much time with the "resident Boy Wonder".   
  
"I need to speak to Draco," he replied calmly. He saw anger flash in the girl's blue eyes and heat flare in her already red cheeks and resisted the urge to just shove her to the side and find Draco himself.   
  
"He doesn't want to speak to you," she said with false pleasantness. "Go away."   
  
She started to slide the entrance closed, but Harry used his body to block her path.   
  
"Parkinson, I need to speak to Draco. And if you won't bring him out to me, I'm going to go in and get him. And  _you're_  not going to stop me."   
  
***   
  
Draco knew he couldn't avoid Harry forever, but he hadn't thought that he would come seek him out. And not just that, but  _demand_  to speak to him. Harry was definitely using his characteristic Gryffindor bravery, considering how a lot of people in Slytherin house still felt about him.   
  
Draco stepped up next to Pansy, laying a hand on her shoulder to silence her before she could start yelling. "Here I am, Potter," he said quietly, avoiding Harry's green gaze. "What do you want?"   
  
Outwardly, he was composed, his feelings hidden behind his usual Malfoy mask. His insides, however, were tied up in knots. He wanted to run away and hide forever. Harry was the courageous one, after all. Not him. Draco wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to face him again.   
  
Harry glanced towards Pansy briefly, before returning his gaze to Draco. "I need to speak to you. Alone," he added pointedly, glancing again at Pansy. "Now," he said in a tone of voice that didn't allow for discussion or arguments.   
  
Draco nodded once, stepping past Pansy and into the corridor. They waited until she had closed the entrance before moving down the hall and stopping outside a small study room.   
  
"Will this work?" Draco asked, keeping his back to Harry. He could feel Harry behind him and his heart rate accelerated.  
  
"Yes," Harry responded softly, reaching around Draco to open the door. The action caused Harry's hand to brush his arm, and Draco shivered at the contact.   
  
The door swung in and Harry placed a hand in the center of Draco's back, pushing slightly to get him to enter the room. He stepped in behind him, closing the door.   
  
"So," Harry began. Draco turned around, fully facing him for the first time. He hid his shaking hands behind his back, gripping them together tightly.   
  
"So," he whispered back. He couldn't help himself; he hungrily raked his gaze over Harry, starting at the top of the disheveled head, over the oh-so-familiar face, cheeks flushed from the heat, down the lightly muscled chest encased in green cotton, down the blue jean shorts and the tanned legs and to the toes of the white trainers. By the time he returned to Harry's face, he was slightly out of breath and the desire to kiss Harry was nearly overwhelming.   
  
"Look, Draco, about last night. I for one think what you did was a bit rude." There was a hint of a smile playing around the corners of Harry's mouth and his eyes were flashing deviously.   
  
"Harry, I'm sorry," Draco said miserably.   
  
"I mean," Harry continued like he hadn't even heard him, "you can't just kiss someone and run off. That's just not the way it's supposed to be done."   
  
Harry had been steadily moving towards him during the speech, and Draco had found himself backing up in response. He gasped as his back hit the stone wall behind him. Harry smirked, reaching up to place both hands on either side of Draco's head.   
  
"No place to go," he said, smiling wickedly. "You see, Draco, the thing is that if you'd bothered to stay last night, you would have realized that I  _wanted_  you to kiss me."   
  
Draco's eyes widened. Harry  _wanted_  him to kiss him? "You did?" he asked, his voice jumping up an octave. He cleared his throat hastily in an attempt to bring it back to normal.   
  
Harry nodded. "Desperately so, I'm afraid." He moved a hand to Draco's face, brushing a thumb lightly over his cheek.   
  
"Oh," Draco sighed, turning into the barely-there touch.   
  
"Oh." Harry smiled again. "So what do you say you kiss me now? Then I can kiss you back, and everything will be as it's supposed to, if not a few hours late."   
  
Draco nodded, thinking that was the best idea he'd ever heard. He leaned forward. "Well, I can't argue with that logic," he said, his lips brushing Harry's as he spoke. Harry smiled slightly before leaning in to close the distance. The stone wall against Draco's back felt really cold compared to the heat radiating off Harry's body as it pressed against him. Harry's tongue parted his lips, and Draco's met the caress. He found himself falling into the sensation; it was one he never thought he'd feel. Harry was  _kissing_  him, and it was wonderful, even better than he'd thought it could be. Their tongues slid against each other as if they had done so a thousand times before, Harry's exploring every ridge and crevice in Draco's mouth. His tongue brushed against the roof of his mouth and Draco let out a quiet moan. Oh, yes.  _So_  much better than he'd thought it would be.   
  
They finally separated, and Harry brushed kisses across Draco's cheek before returning and placing a chaste one directly on his mouth. He pulled back, eyes shining, and Draco felt himself smiling back. He was completely surrounded by Harry and couldn't think of anywhere he'd rather be.   
  
"Mmm, nice," Harry murmured, raising up slightly on tiptoes to kiss Draco's forehead. He wrapped his arms around his neck, burying his face in the spot directly below Draco's chin. One hand slid up into Draco's hair. Harry was a couple inches shorter than Draco, which in Draco's opinion meant Harry fit against him just perfectly.   
  
Draco held Harry close, content to stand and hold him forever. They didn't speak and the only sound in the quiet dungeon room was that of their synchronized breathing. Harry finally pulled away, raising his head for one more kiss, and turned to sit at the table. He motioned for Draco to join him, and he obliged. Draco reached for Harry's hand, entwining their fingers together as he pulled it closer. Harry scooted his chair closer so that their knees were touching.   
  
Draco brought Harry's hand near his face, and seeing a scar along the top of it, raised his eyes curiously. "What happened?"  
  
Harry was silent. Draco rubbed his thumb over the white lines, noticing that they actually formed words. "Harry, how did you get these?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Umbridge."  
  
Draco tightened his grip. "What did she do?"  
  
Harry didn't answer right away. "'I must not tell lies'," he finally said, voice flat.  
  
"What?" Draco asked.  
  
"That's what she made me write, over and over again. 'I must not tell lies.' Only it wasn't with a normal quill. This one didn't use ink. It used my blood, and whatever I wrote was scratched into my hand. I had to write it so many times that it's been permanently engraved in my skin."  
  
Draco felt sick. He remembered fully how he'd helped her wreak her havoc around the school, and was horrified at the memories. It was amazing that Harry was even willing to speak to him after everything he'd done.  
  
Harry seemed to sense his thoughts. "Forget it, Draco. It's over and done with now. There's no use dwelling on the past. We have to move on."  
  
Draco shook his head. "You're too good a person, Harry."  _I don't deserve you_ , he thought to himself.  
  
Harry shook his head once, squeezed his hand, and pointedly changed the subject by asking, "What are your plans for today?"   
  
Draco sighed, not wanting to drop the previous conversation but knowing Harry didn't want to talk about it any longer. "I was going to meet my mother for lunch. She and Sirius are back from London, you know. I was wondering what they'd found out. You could join us, too, and bring Sirius with you as well."   
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be taking their relationship in stride."   
  
Draco shrugged. "They were together for three years here at Hogwarts, but she'd been betrothed to my father, and there wasn't anything she could do to get out of it. They were married, she had me, and that's that. After I told my father that I wouldn't join Voldemort she decided that she didn't want to remain with him any longer either. It was really only a matter of time. I think she was just waiting for me to make the first move."   
  
Harry nodded, taking it all in. "So, if they were to marry, that would be okay with you?"   
  
Draco smiled. "Yes. It would. It would make her happy, and that's all that really matters. God knows my mother deserves to be happy."   
  
Harry smiled, and leaned in, kissing Draco again. "That's what I think about Sirius, too."   
  
They sat in silence, enjoying being near each other and that they could touch each other without questions or comments from others. Suddenly, Harry gripped Draco's hand tightly, raising his other to his scar. "Oh, no," he whispered in horror.   
  
"What?" Draco asked, instantly panicked. Harry looked to be in pain, and Draco wasn't sure what was going on.   
  
"It's Voldemort. He's attacking somewhere." Harry gasped. "I need to get to Dumbledore. Help me. I can't walk by myself." Or at least, that's what Draco thought he said, as Harry was having a bit of trouble getting the words out.   
  
Draco stood, wrapping an arm around Harry's waist and pulling him to his feet. "Where is he?"   
  
"Who?" Harry asked, with a small grin that turned into a grimace. "Voldemort or Dumbledore?"   
  
Draco assumed that since he was trying to make a joke that this had happened to him before.   
  
"Dumbledore. What's going on, Harry?"   
  
Harry took a shuddering breath. "It's this," he said, punctuating the statement by shoving his hair off his head and revealing the scar hidden beneath. "It connects me to Voldemort. I can see what he's doing if he's feeling something strongly. And Dumbledore is in his office."   
  
"And Voldemort's feeling something strongly?" Draco asked, opening the door and helping Harry down the hall.   
  
Harry nodded jerkily. "Hatred. And glee. He's  _killing_  people and he's happy about it."   
  
Draco regarded him in horror. Harry could  _see_  this? He could  _feel_  it?   
  
Harry smiled slightly. "It's okay, Draco. The pain's starting to fade."   
  
By this time they'd reached Dumbledore's office. Before Harry could speak the password, the spiral staircase appeared, with Dumbledore standing at the bottom. "Come to see me, Harry?"   
  
Draco didn't ask how the Headmaster knew they were coming since the old wizard always seemed to know about a lot of things he shouldn't have been able to.   
  
Harry laughed shakily, "Voldemort," his only reply.   
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Here, Harry, have a sherbet lemon. They always make me feel better."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, but took the proffered candy and put it in his mouth.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy, would you help Harry to the Prefects Lounge? I think we need to have an emergency meeting."   
  
Draco nodded and gripped Harry more tightly, holding him close. He helped him into the Lounge. Lupin was in there working with Blaise and Tracey, who both looked up as they entered.   
  
"Ah, Mr. Zabini, Miss Davis. Would you please use your rings to inform the others that we need to have an emergency meeting?" Dumbledore kindly asked. "You may step into the corridor to do so."  
  
Both nodded, and left the room. As Blaise passed Draco and Harry he quietly asked, "All right, Potter?"   
  
Harry nodded, and received a nod in response. Dumbledore looked at him. "Tell me what happened, Harry."   
  
Harry sat on the sofa, Draco sitting next to him. Harry leaned slightly against him, using Draco to help him remain upright. "It was Reading. They attacked Reading. I saw a flash of green. Someone, or a group of someones, used the Killing curse. There were families screaming, and I saw several Muggles being killed. The Dark Mark was above the houses. There were at least fifty Death Eaters."  
  
Draco listened wide-eyed. He'd had no idea that Harry was having visions of the attacks, and had no idea that the scar he'd ridiculed so many times in the past was actually a direct link to the most dangerous Dark Wizard the Wizarding World had seen.   
  
Dumbledore was observing him with a bit of amusement. "Ah, Mr. Malfoy. I see that Harry hasn't told you about his gift."  
  
Harry snorted at the use of the word "gift", rolling his eyes. Draco shook his head, turning to look at him. "Later," Harry whispered, and Draco could only nod in response.   
  
The other members of the  _Adversarius_  started filing into the room as well as several staff and Ministry officials, Sirius and Narcissa amongst them. Lupin had obviously contacted the members of the Order of the Phoenix.   
  
"There's been another attack," Dumbledore calmly informed them all. "On Reading."   
  
_(end chapter six)_


	7. Chapter 7

The room was silent after Dumbledore made his announcement.  
  
"Remus," the Headmaster said after a moment, "please inform the Ministry. They need to dispatch Aurors immediately to Reading."  
  
Lupin nodded, moving towards the fireplace. He lit a fire, wincing as the heat hit him fully in the face. It was already extremely warm in the room, and the fire made it instantly worse. Harry felt a trickle of sweat drip down the center of his back and his glasses slid down his nose. Before he could push them back up, Draco reached out a hand and slid them back into place. Harry smiled at him and received a small smile in return.  
  
"Arthur Weasley," Remus spoke clearly into the flames. Mr. Weasley's head suddenly appeared, the red of his hair almost seamlessly blending into the fire.  
  
"Remus," he said in way of greeting. "What's happened?"  
  
"There's been an attack on Reading. You need to send Aurors immediately if there is any chance of us finding anything," Lupin replied.  
  
Arthur nodded. Harry had never seen him look so resigned. "I'll do so immediately," he said sadly.  
  
"This would be easier if we had full Ministry support," Dumbledore replied before Arthur could disappear.  
  
Arthur nodded again. "I'll talk to Fudge again. But I'm not sure it will do any good, Albus. He'll probably tell everyone that it was just some children playing with their parents' wands or some other nonsense." He disappeared with a pop.  
  
"Everyone sit down, please. Remus put out that fire. It's much too hot to keep it burning." Dumbledore reached into his sleeve and withdrew a purple handkerchief, using it to wipe his brow. Seeing that no one had moved to sit, he gestured towards the chairs with his free hand. "Sit."  
  
Ron and Hermione sat on the sofa next to Harry, looking pointedly at Draco, who sighed and moved over a bit. Neither noticed Harry move over as well, settling closer to him. Draco placed a hand on the center of Harry's back, out of sight of the others in the room. Harry leaned slightly into the touch.  
  
"What do we know?" Snape asked. He'd chosen not to sit, choosing instead to lean against the wall. He glanced briefly at Harry before turning his attention to the Headmaster.  
  
"Death Eaters attacked Reading about ten minutes ago. They killed some Muggle families. Voldemort was among them, I believe." Here Dumbledore looked at Harry, who nodded.  
  
Hermione put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Are you all right, Harry?" she asked quietly, concern evident in her brown eyes.  
  
"I'm fine, Hermione," he told her, giving her a half-smile. She nodded, returning the slight smile with one of her own. Harry hadn't told her, or anyone for that matter, that each vision was becoming increasingly more painful, almost to the point where he was unable to breath, or, like this last attack, where he was hardly able to move at all. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the accompanying headache hit, and he hoped they'd be through with their meeting before that happened.  
  
"We weren't expecting this," Sirius said with a shake of his head.  
  
"Actually," Hermione spoke up, glancing briefly around at the other  _Adversarius_  members, "we were. Sort of." All eyes were now on her, the members of the Order staring at her in disbelief.  
  
Across the room, Pansy laughed slightly. "Nice start there, Granger. Why don't you get the map? I'll explain." She waved her hand dismissingly, turning to face Dumbledore. Hermione rolled her eyes in response but got up, walking across the room to the cabinet against the wall.  
  
"You see, Professor," Pansy began, pausing for effect. Next to Harry, Draco sighed in exasperation.  
  
"Pansy, just tell them," he said, annoyance clear in his voice. "We don't have time for dramatics."  
  
She sent him a look of loathing, which he ignored, her eyes flicking briefly towards Harry. "We plotted the other attacks on this map." She gestured towards the map that Hermione had just placed in the center of the table. "Then we connected the dots. The lines form a diamond." She emphasized this by running her finger along the shape.  
  
"So we looked at the attacks in England," Hermione cut in with a pointed look at Pansy, pointing to the dots on the lower half of the map. "There were only three attacks at this time. All the cities are the same distance from London, so we picked a fourth point that fit to finish the shape. That point was Reading."  
  
No one said anything. Harry saw a look of uncertainty cross Hermione's face.  
  
Sirius finally cleared his throat. "Okay," he said slowly. "Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
Hermione looked embarrassed. "None of you were here," she pointed out, looking around the room for help from the others. "You and Mrs. Malfoy were in London, Professor Lupin was recovering from his transformation, Professor Dumbledore was at the Ministry…." She trailed off.  
  
"None of you were here," Harry said again, looking around at the members of the Order. "There was no one to tell."  
  
"Besides that," Draco spoke up, "we weren't sure about it. We couldn't figure out when they were going to attack. And the Ministry would have wanted more than a guess from a few seventh year students. Morag couldn't get a clear reading because of the clouds, and neither Mandy nor Pansy saw anything useful." This was said very calmly. Draco was looking at the fingernails on his left hand, appearing totally disinterested in what was going on. Harry, however, knew better and had to hide a smile. Draco had a habit of twirling the ring on his middle finger with his thumb when he was thinking deeply about something. Harry had noticed it numerous times in Potions class, usually when they were taking a test, and noticed that Draco was doing the same thing right now.  
  
"Well, do you have an idea about where they might attack next?" Snape asked irritably.  
  
"Actually, we do," Hermione replied in a businesslike manner. "Either the Ministry or right here at Hogwarts." She pointed to both places on the map, their locations marked by a gold star.  
  
"And how do you know this?" Narcissa asked calmly from her perch on the arm of Sirius's chair.   
  
"The diamonds," Hermione said, pointing again at the map. "The center of each is either Hogwarts or the Ministry. And both are, obviously, of huge importance to the Wizarding World."  
  
"This seems like a safe assumption," Dumbledore said. "You all did very well." Hermione practically beamed at the praise. "How are we coming along with finding a cause to this heat?"  
  
Everyone in the  _Adversarius_  sighed, shaking their heads and mumbling slightly. "We're not," Padma said. "We looked in every book in the library, even at the ones in the Restricted Section. We didn't find anything."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, turning his attention towards the four Slytherins. "And you?"  
  
Blaise shook his head. "Nothing. We looked in every Dark Arts book we own. And that's a lot of books," he said with a smirk, pride evident in his voice. A few of the non-Slytherin members shook their heads in disdain. Blaise rolled his eyes in response, leaning back in his chair.  
  
"We are completely out of ideas," Tracey said. She was seated on the arm of Blaise's chair and reached down, holding up the book that had been in his hand. "This is our last book. And there's nothing in it about Heat Spells."  
  
"Well there has to be something somewhere," Ron said suddenly, speaking for the first time. "It's obvious that it's a spell. And every spell is in a book."  
  
"Very astute observation, Weasley," Pansy said scathingly.  
  
Ron looked like he was going to stick his tongue out at her, so Harry reached in front of Hermione and hit him in the knee. Ron leaned back against the sofa, grumbling to himself.  
  
"This is a problem, but fear not - for all problems have a solution. We will find something." Dumbledore pulled thoughtfully on his beard. "I need to talk to the members of the Order. The rest of you are dismissed. We will meet again tomorrow at eleven o'clock to go over anything that the Ministry may have found in Reading."  
  
Everyone nodded their assent, standing up nearly as one. The hand on Harry's back dropped away and was replaced by a hand on his elbow. He looked up into a pair of grey eyes and arched his eyebrow in question.  
  
"You said you'd explain your 'gift'," Draco said, eyebrow lifting on the word "gift".  
  
Harry nodded just as Sirius appeared at his other side.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sirius asked. He looked extremely worried and was probably beating himself up over the fact that he hadn't been around when Harry had needed him.  
  
"I'm fine, Sirius," Harry replied. He was getting very tired of everyone asking him that question. "How did it go in London?" he asked to change the subject. That seemed to gain Draco's attention, who turned to face Sirius as well.  
  
"Well," Sirius said, giving Harry a look that said, "This is not over". "Narcissa can annul the marriage if she can present evidence that she was unhappy, or being mistreated."  
  
"What kind of evidence?" Draco asked. "Witnesses? Would I be considered a witness?"  
  
"If you're willing to testify," Sirius said, a small hope blossoming in his eyes.  
  
Draco appeared to think this over before smirking. "Of course I'll testify," he replied. "When will you need me?"  
  
"As soon as we set it up," Sirius told him. "I'll let you know."  
  
Draco nodded. Harry couldn't help but smile. Draco saw him and asked, "What?" in a defensive voice.  
  
Harry shook his head. "Nothing. It's just … you made him happy. He hasn't really been happy in a while."  
  
Draco shrugged elegantly. "It makes my mother happy, too." Giving Harry a long look he said softly, "Can we talk now?"  
  
"Yes," Harry replied, just as softly. "Let's go back to the study room."  
  
Draco nodded. They walked out of the lounge side-by-side.  
  
"Harry, where are you going?" Hermione asked, appearing suddenly at Harry's elbow.  
  
Harry sighed, pulling his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. "I need to talk to Draco about something."  
  
"Now?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice. "We should really try to find answers to the heat, and start trying to figure out where Voldemort is going to attack next."  
  
"Not now, Hermione," Harry said, voice sharp. "I need to talk to Draco about something and I'm going to do that now." Hermione's eyes widened. "We will talk about the attacks later, when I get back."  
  
Draco had never heard Harry talk to anyone except himself in that way. Hermione seemed speechless, and could only nod in response. Harry sighed again, putting his glasses back on. The headache had just started, the pressure building sharply behind his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean to snap at you. We'll talk about this later, okay?" He raised a hand to her face, resting it briefly against her cheek.  
  
"Okay, Harry," she said, smiling slightly. "I'll hold you to that. And I've got questions for you. You won't be able to put them off this time."  
  
Harry nodded in response. Hermione nodded at Draco and turned away. She took hold of Ron's arm, interrupting his conversation with Mandy and Terry, and pulled him towards Gryffindor Tower.  
  
Harry turned back to face Draco, a contemplative look on his face. "I'm going to have to tell her about us. Whatever 'us' is." He blushed, grinning slightly at Draco. "I mean, she'll only figure it out for herself eventually and I'd prefer if she heard it from me first. If there's anything for her to find out about, that is." The blush on his cheeks got brighter.  
  
Draco nodded, sighing. "I suppose we should talk." He returned the smile, looking briefly away from Harry. He cleared his throat, a blush rising up his face.  
  
Harry tilted his head to the side, a small awkward smile on his face. "Yes. Let's go do that."  
  
The two boys walked down the hall in silence, both thinking about what exactly they wanted the "us" to be.  
  
***  
  
Draco opened the door to the study room, holding it open for Harry. Upon entering the room, Harry immediately put as much distance between himself and Draco as possible.   
  
Draco noted that Harry was standing with his back to him, hands clasped tightly behind him. He seemed nervous; his feet were shuffling awkwardly on the floor and his eyes were downcast.  
  
"Harry," Draco said softly. He wanted to put him at ease, but wasn't exactly sure how to do that.  
  
Harry turned to face him, sighing softly. The table sat between them, a physical barrier keeping the two apart.  
  
"Sit, Draco," he said softly, gesturing to a chair. "I'll tell you about my 'gift'." This was said sarcastically and Draco winced at the harsh tone.  
  
"You know all about how I got this scar, right?"  
  
_Of course he did_. Draco nodded, a little unsure. Harry seemed to have pulled into himself and Draco didn't know how to reach him. It scared him a bit; Harry always seemed so open; those green eyes were windows to the soul.  
  
Harry's eyes were now shuttered, hiding away any feeling.  
  
"During our first year here, my scar began burning. It didn't happen all the time, just randomly. When I faced Voldemort that year it only hurt when I was close to him. This went on for two more years. But at the beginning of fourth year the pain was accompanied by a vision." There was a bitter smile on his face. "I saw Voldemort kill a Muggle man."  
  
Draco blinked. He remembered perfectly how he and the other Slytherins had taunted Harry about the Rita Skeeter article that proclaimed that the Boy-Who-Lived was crazy. He grimaced. He'd caused such hurt to Harry and his friends. It was a miracle that Harry was even willing to talk to him.  
  
"The visions progressed that year. They were very vivid. I always felt like I was in the room where they were happening. Sometimes it felt like I was the one responsible, that I was casting the spells. And each time, the pain in my scar was more intense." He rubbed his fingers across the mark, an absent look on his face.  
  
"Fifth year wasn't so bad. It seemed after the Triwizard Tournament that Voldemort went silent. I only had one vision that year, and that was when Mr. Weasley was attacked." His hand dropped away from the scar. "Sixth year the visions returned. The pain worsened, too. It took my breath away. I started going to Dumbledore and telling him about the visions then, but it never did any good. Half the time I couldn't even tell where Voldemort was, and the other times the Aurors would get there too late to do anything."  
  
Harry sighed, shoving his hair impatiently off his forehead. He started pacing. "Then, this year, it's been even worse." He gave a hollow laugh. "The pain is so bad I can't move, and can't breathe. I get headaches after each one. The visions are more violent, too. Voldemort is openly attacking Muggles. I can now feel everything he is feeling. The joy of the kill, the pride in killing those weaker than us. The glee he feels while using  _Avada Kedavra_  on a two-year-old Muggle girl." His hands were clenched at his sides. "Sometimes I feel like I won't wake up. It scares me. I hate to go to sleep in fear that he'll attack and I won't be able to do anything. I'm never able to do anything."  
  
Draco was wide-eyed. He'd never expected that Harry was going through this. No wonder he looked like he hadn't slept.  
  
"There have been eight attacks this year," Draco said. "Does that mean…." He trailed off.  
  
"I've had eight excruciating visions with a few Death Eater meetings and tortures thrown in."  
  
Draco stood suddenly, almost unable to take all this information in. "God, Harry," he whispered, horrified.  
  
That seemed to bring Harry back to reality. He'd been calmly talking about the visions like he was reading a list of Potions ingredients. He stepped around the table, gripping one of Draco's hands tightly in his.  
  
"It's okay," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you with all that. I've never told anyone else what it's really like, and it all just kind of came out."  
  
Draco let out a shaky breath before wrapping his arms tightly around Harry, who settled his face into the side of Draco's neck.  
  
"Harry, I'm sorry. For everything I ever said about Voldemort or your scar. For everything." Harry laughed slightly. "I had no idea what you were going through. Not that that's an excuse," Draco added hastily.  
  
Harry shook his head slightly, grasping the back of Draco's shirt in his hands. He pulled away, keeping his arms around him, and met Draco's eyes.  
  
"I forgive you, Draco," he whispered. "You were going through your own problems all these years and I never gave a single thought to that." He brushed a kiss over both of his cheeks. "I think we're even."  
  
Draco laughed shakily, kissing Harry fully on the mouth. "I don't think we'll ever be even."  
  
Harry smiled, placing his head back on Draco's shoulder. Draco slid one of his hands up into the silky black strands of hair which were slightly damp from sweat. Remembering the comment about getting headaches, Draco murmured a spell that his mother had taught him, and Harry sighed in contentment as the pain in his head eased. After a moment, Harry said, "So … what does this make us?" Draco could hear the smile in his voice.  
  
Draco blushed at the question, feeling his heart speed up. This is what he'd dreamed about. Being able to hold Harry in his arms whenever he felt like it, being able to talk to him about anything - just being  _together_. He cleared his throat. "Well, I think it's obvious we like each other."  
  
Harry said, "Yes," sighing against Draco's neck.  
  
"So then we should be together," Draco said, then shook his head, appalled at how that came out.  
  
Harry looked up, green eyes sparkling mischievously. "We're together. Yes, I like that." He punctuated the statement with a kiss on the end of Draco's nose.  
  
Draco laughed, then sobered. "You're going to tell Hermione." It wasn't a question, and Harry didn't take it as one.  
  
He nodded. "She already knows something is going on. I need to tell her."  
  
Draco sighed, releasing him and stepping away slightly. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it off his forehead. His hair, like Harry's, was slightly damp from sweat, which caused the strands to stick up haphazardly. "I'm not ready to tell my housemates."  
  
Harry shrugged carelessly. "And I'm not ready to tell mine. Just Hermione. And Ron," he added with a frown.  
  
Draco groaned slightly. "I wouldn't think he'd be too happy with the news."  
  
Harry shook his head. "No. But I have to tell him. He'll be furious if he finds out another way. Plus, I'm horrible at keeping secrets from him. He'd know something was up straight away."  
  
Draco sighed again - it seemed he was doing a lot of that - and wrapped his arms back around Harry, placing a kiss on his forehead. "Then tell him. I don't mind. I'm just not ready to tell my friends."  
  
Harry nodded, burrowing closer to Draco. It was extremely hot in the room; standing so closely together was producing extra heat, but Draco decided that he wouldn't trade this for anything. He pulled Harry even closer, sighing softly in pleasure.  
  
They stayed that way for a long time. Suddenly there was a "tap tap" at the door.  
  
Draco looked at Harry, who shrugged. He opened the door and a tawny owl flew in, settling on Draco's shoulder. It extended its right leg. Attached was an envelope bearing the Hogwarts crest.  
  
"That's from Dumbledore," Harry said with interest.  
  
Draco took the letter and the owl flew out of the room. He opened the envelope and read:   
  
_Mr. Malfoy,  
  
Please meet me in my office in ten minutes. The password is Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.  
  
Sincerely,  
Albus Dumbledore_  
  
Harry had read the letter over Draco's shoulder. "Wonder what he wants?" he asked thoughtfully.  
  
Draco shrugged, folding the letter back up. "I don't know, but I have to meet him. Want to walk with me?"  
  
Harry nodded. "I need to get back to Gryffindor Tower anyway."  
  
They walked in silence until they reached the entrance to the Headmaster's office. Draco gave Harry a quick kiss after making sure the hallways were clear. "I'll see you later," he said, brushing a hand across Harry's cheek.  
  
Harry nodded and turned towards the Tower. Draco watched until he disappeared.  
  
"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," he spoke clearly. The spiral staircase appeared in front of him and he stepped on, riding it to the top.  
  
The door opened in front of him before he had a chance to raise his hand to knock, and he stepped inside. Draco had been in Dumbledore's office a few times, but was always struck by the odd collections of knick-knacks that were around the office and numerous amounts of portraits that covered the walls.  
  
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, have a seat please," Dumbledore said. He was seated behind his desk, which was situated in the center of the room. He was holding a ceramic teapot. "Would you like some tea?"  
  
"No, thank you, Sir. It's a little too warm for tea," Draco said nervously. His mother and Sirius were also in the office, and he sat next to Narcissa, who greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Good, well, we'll get down to business then. Your mother has informed me that Lucius has a rather extensive library."  
  
Draco was a little confused with what that had to do with anything but responded, albeit cautiously, "Yes."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "She also says that there was one book in particular that was kept in a glass cabinet."  
  
"Yes," Draco said again. It seemed like he'd been reduced to one-word sentences. He remembered the cabinet well; he'd never been allowed to see the book, and hadn't been allowed to even touch the cabinet.  
  
"That book, Draco, is the one we need to solve the heat problem." Dumbledore regarded him with solemn blue eyes.  
  
"Okay," Draco said, glancing at his mother. "What does that have to do with me?"  
  
"We need you to sneak into the Manor and retrieve the book for us. It is our only hope at relieving the school of this heat spell."  
  
Draco blinked. They wanted  _him_  to go retrieve the book?  
  
"You're the only one who can do it, Draco," his mother said softly. "The library is protected so only someone of Malfoy blood can enter."  
  
_Malfoy blood_.  
  
Draco drew a deep breath and released it completely before responding. Only one thing was running through his head at the moment -  _for Harry_.  
  
"Just tell me what to do."  
  
_(end chapter seven)_


	8. Chapter 8

When Harry entered the common room, the first thing he noticed was the quiet.   
  
The common room was usually very loud, especially on the weekends when there were no classes. People usually sat around in groups, talking to friends, or playing chess and Exploding Snap.   
  
Today, however, there were currently only four people occupying the room. Ginny Weasley was curled up on the sofa, legs tucked beneath her, reading the latest  _Teen Witch Weekly_. Her red hair was pulled back into a simple braid, the end secured with a green ribbon to match her dress.   
  
Dean Thomas was sitting in one of the window seats. He had his knees drawn up and was using the flat surface to balance his sketchbook. He was using a pencil, drawing something that seemed to be outside on the grounds.   
  
The other two occupants were first years: a boy and a girl. Harry wasn't quite sure what their names were as he hadn't really paid attention during the Sorting Ceremony and didn't really interact all that much with his younger housemates. They were playing chess, and as Harry watched, the girl's rook smashed the boy's pawn into little pieces, amidst gales of laughter from the young girl.  
  
He smiled at the boy's reaction ("That's not fair! You cheated!") and wandered over to the sofa, sitting next to Ginny.   
  
"Hi, Harry," she said offhandedly without looking up from her magazine.   
  
"Hi, Ginny," he replied, reaching over to see what she was reading. " _How to know if you were meant to be_?" he asked with a grin.   
  
She looked up and shrugged, closing the magazine. "Mum sent it to me today." She shifted, turning to face him. "Where have you been?"   
  
Harry shrugged. "I was talking to someone."   
  
"Someone special?" Ginny teased with a wink.   
  
"Maybe," he responded with a smile.   
  
She laughed slightly. "Good for you, Harry."   
  
He nodded. His friends were always worried that he wouldn't find that "Special Someone". Even Ginny, despite her long-time crush on him, had recently told Harry that she hoped he found someone to love, "even if it wasn't her''. This was certainly a huge change from her previous stalker efforts, which Harry had no problems with, whatsoever. His friends were concerned that he wasn't allowing himself to be involved with anyone since his future was so uncertain.   
  
They were right.   
  
Of course, that was until a certain grey-eyed Slytherin had pushed his way into Harry's carefully constructed life, and carefully guarded heart.   
  
"Have you seen Hermione?" he asked suddenly. He figured now was as good a time as any to tell her about Draco, if there was even such a thing as a "good time".   
  
Ginny nodded. She'd turned her attention back to her magazine. "She's up in her room," she replied, waving a hand towards the stairs. "She said something about needing to revise."  
  
Harry laughed slightly at that and asked, "What about your brother?"   
  
Ginny looked up again, lips pursed thoughtfully. "He went outside with Seamus, I think."   
  
Harry nodded, which Ginny didn't see as she was once again reading her magazine, and said, "Thanks." He stood up and stretched, nodded to Dean, and headed up the stairs towards Hermione's room.   
  
Since Hermione was Head Girl, she had a room all to herself. The room was located at the top of the staircase; Harry was glad he didn't have to trek up all these stairs every day.   
  
He paused outside her door, gathering his thoughts. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain the truth about what was going on between himself and Draco. He hoped she wouldn't be too upset.   
  
He knocked, opening the door at the muffled, "Come in".   
  
Hermione was seated on her bed, several books spread around her. She had a quill tucked into her hair and an ink smear on her cheek. She looked up as he entered and smiled, saying, "Revision for our N.E.W.T.'s."   
  
Harry shook his head with fond exasperation. Hermione, it seemed, was always studying.   
  
She turned her attention back to her book, and Harry took the time to glance around the room. It was circular in shape, and actually rather spacious. There was a four-poster bed with the usual scarlet and gold curtains, a wardrobe, desk, nightstand, and fireplace, which, thankfully, was empty. There was also a connecting bathroom. Harry wandered over to the desk; there were several pictures along the edge. Most were of Ron, Hermione, and Harry, ranging from first through the current seventh Year. There was also a picture of Hermione's parents.   
  
Behind him he heard a book close, and turned at the sound. Hermione had finished reading whatever it was she had been engrossed in and had cleared a spot for him to sit on the bed. She patted it.   
  
"Sit, Harry," she said, rolling up a piece of parchment and setting it on the nightstand. "I've got some questions for you."   
  
Harry sighed, but obliged her. He folded his hands in his lap, thumb twirling the ring on his finger nervously.   
  
Hermione studied him with the intensity she used to observe the exact boiling points of ingredients in Potions, eyes narrowed slightly. "What's going on with you and Draco?"   
  
Harry blinked. Leave it to Hermione to get right to the point. "What do you mean?"   
  
She gave him a look that said, "Don't be dense", and let out a " _Harry_ ," in an exasperated voice.   
  
He sighed. "I like him."   
  
She arched an eyebrow. "And?"   
  
"He likes me." Harry looked away, studying the headboard of the bed over Hermione's shoulder. He reached out a hand and traced a finger along the intricate design. "I like him a lot," he added softly.   
  
He heard her sigh and risked a glance. She was chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip, a sure sign that she was thinking something over carefully. Harry took it as a good thing that he hadn't been hexed into oblivion yet.   
  
"Are you two …" She trailed off, then looked directly at him. "Together?" she finished, looking at him expectantly.   
  
Faced with such a direct question, he could only nod weakly.   
  
"Oh, Harry," she said softly, but not with any of the malice or resentment he had secretly feared. She was quiet for a moment. "Are you happy?" she finally asked.   
  
He thought about the times he'd spent with Draco; sitting under the tree, the potion-trying, Astronomy class, the kisses,  _oh, the kisses_  - just simply being with him. He knew he was grinning widely when he said, "Yes, Hermione. I'm happy."   
  
She gave a slight smile in return. "You deserve to be." A shadow crossed her face. "I'm still a little concerned, though, Harry."   
  
He gave her a patented, understanding grin, taking one of her hands in his. "I know. But Draco..." He trailed off, another smile on his face. "He's wonderful, Hermione. He's funny and nice…" He trailed off again. Maybe  _nice_  wasn't exactly the right word. "Well, nice to me," he amended. "He cares about me. I can tell. And I … I care about him." Harry was blushing and hoped it wasn't too noticeable with the flush from the heat already staining his cheeks.   
  
She studied him closely for a minute, then leaned back against the headboard, squeezing Harry's hand. "I'm glad you're happy. Like I said - you deserve to be, more than anyone. And if Draco is the one who makes you happy…." She cleared her throat. "Well, then that's okay with me."   
  
Harry allowed himself a sigh of relief. He smiled gratefully at her. She leaned forward suddenly, eyes glinting mischievously. "Have you kissed him yet?"   
  
Harry blushed; he couldn't help it. " _Hermione_!" he exclaimed, embarrassed.   
  
"What?" she asked with a grin. "We're friends. You're supposed to tell me things like this. Seamus and I have kissed." She lowered her voice as if telling a secret and winked at him.   
  
"That's great," Harry said weakly.   
  
She gave him a look. "Well?" she asked. "I told you I had questions for you."   
  
Harry cleared his throat. "I…." His voice raised in pitch and he cleared his throat again. He'd already gone through puberty, thank you very much. There was no reason for his voice to be jumping octaves. "Yes," he finally said, embarrassment clear on his face. "We've kissed."   
  
Hermione nodded, satisfied. "I'd thought as much."   
  
Harry gave her an incredulous look.   
  
"What?" she asked indignantly. "You thought I didn't know? I could tell from the way you were acting just now." She gave him a smug smile. "You're horribly transparent, you know. You can't hide anything from me."   
  
Harry shook his head, amused. Hermione never ceased to amaze him. "Apparently not," he consented.   
  
She nodded, then turned thoughtful. "Have you told Ron?"   
  
Harry's eyes widened quickly at the thought, before he frowned. "No," he admitted. "I don't even know  _how_  I'm going to tell him." He ran a hand distractedly through his hair.   
  
Hermione tilted her head thoughtfully. "I'll come with you, if you like. Maybe that will help. He's not going to be happy," she added unnecessarily.   
  
He shook his head sadly. "I know he's not."   
  
She stood up suddenly, knocking her pile of books and parchment on the floor. "Damn," she swore softly, dropping onto her hands and knees to retrieve some of the books from under the bed where they had fallen. She said something else, but Harry couldn't hear her.   
  
"What?" he asked, leaning over the bed to get closer to her. Her head appeared directly in front of his face, and he backed up slightly.   
  
"I asked if Draco was going to tell anyone."   
  
"Oh," Harry replied, rolling over to his back and knocking an inkpot to the floor, which Hermione caught before it hit the ground. "Sorry," he said absently. He picked up a quill, rolling it between his fingers. "I don't think so," he finally answered her question. "At least not yet."   
  
Hermione folded her arms on the bed, placing her chin on them. "Hmm," she said noncommittally, but her frown was evident. "Is this okay with you?"   
  
Harry turned his head to look at her. "Yes. It'll be nice to have this to ourselves for a little while."   
  
She smiled. "Yes, I know." Her eyes drifted shut. He could tell that she was thinking about Seamus; she had a sort of dreamy expression on her face.   
  
"So," Harry said, turning on his side to face her. "You and Seamus."   
  
She opened her eyes, smiling. "I should thank you for that. You and Dean helped get us together. Don't think I didn't realize that either! So thank you."   
  
He laughed. "You're welcome."   
  
They were silent for a moment, the only sound in the room that of the ticking of the alarm clock on the nightstand.   
  
"God," Harry said after a while. "It's really hot in here."   
  
Hermione laughed, reaching a hand up to ruffle his hair. Since it was damp with sweat, the action caused the black strands to poke up all over, more than they normally did, anyway, which received another laugh from Hermione. She smoothed it out the best she could and patted his head consolingly.   
  
"There. And yes it's hot in here. Heat rises, you know."   
  
Harry rolled his eyes in response to what he considered to be an irrelevant comment. He stood and stretched, feeling his muscles pull satisfactorily, then reached a hand down and pulled Hermione to her feet. She smoothed down her dress and tucked an escaped tendril of hair behind her ear. Harry reached down and pulled the quill out of her hair, tapping her playfully on the nose with it before tossing it on to the bed with the rest of her things.   
  
"Ready to talk to Ron?" she asked, smiling slightly. She steadied herself on Harry's arm as she stepped into her sandals.   
  
Harry sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."   
  
Hermione nodded. "It'll be okay, Harry."   
  
He didn't respond but desperately hoped she was right. He opened the door, allowing her to step out first and closed it behind them. Neither said anything as they made their journey outside.   
  
***   
  
Draco left Dumbledore's office, his mind whirling. It was times like these that he wished he had a Pensieve. Then he could siphon away the excess thoughts and focus on what he was going to have to do.   
  
He wanted to see Harry, but wanted to come up with a way to tell him about what Dumbledore had said. Draco knew Harry would be angry; he wanted to keep those he cared about safe, and sending Draco into Malfoy Manor wasn't exactly what anyone would call "safe". It was what he considered necessary though.   
  
Draco stopped walking and leaned against the wall.   
  
The book he was supposed to retrieve was called  _Caligo Devotio_. Draco wasn't sure how exactly Dumbledore had known exactly which book they needed to break the spell that was on Hogwarts. Dumbledore always seemed to know things he shouldn't, and Draco didn't really want to ask, for fear of the answer.  
  
The problem Draco would face wasn't really getting the book; once inside the Manor, Draco would have no trouble at all getting into the Library and retrieving the book. The problem was getting into the Manor in the first place.   
  
Malfoy Manor, like Hogwarts, was unplottable. There were several layers of wards around it, ranging from simple temperature controls to the difficult Anti-Apparation wards. If Draco wanted to get into the Manor, he was going to have to find a way to get through the wards, without alerting Lucius that someone was breaking in. He knew there was a way to do it, but it was very dangerous. It required the casting of several spells, each more difficult than the last. If Draco made any mistakes, he would be caught by Lucius. He shuddered to think what would happen to him then.   
  
His mother, the last person to be inside the Manor, was working with Dumbledore and Sirius to determine where on the wards it would be safest for Draco to sneak in. The idea was to make a hole large enough for Draco to get through in his Animagus form. However, even that small of a hole required Draco to cast six spells, and the final ones were going to be the most difficult spells he'd ever attempted.   
  
Dumbledore was going to have him work with Sirius over the next few days to practice the spells needed to break through the wards. Sirius was apparently an expert at casting Dark Magic spells; he'd used several of them to allude the Ministry when he was still on the run, and he came from a family that had a history of using the Dark Arts. Dumbledore seemed certain that Sirius could teach Draco everything he needed to know in a very short period of time, and Draco had to agree with him. Dumbledore had never let him down in the past.   
  
It was going to take a lot of work, but Draco was determined to succeed. He would find the book, bring it back to Hogwarts, and use it to relieve the school of the heat. He would do it, for Harry.   
  
He pushed himself away from the wall and ran a hand through his hair. It was time to talk to Harry, and hope that he could explain the reason he had to do it without angering him. He really didn't want to fight with Harry.   
  
He wandered outside. Draco's newly declared  _boyfriend_  had said he was heading up to Gryffindor Tower, but something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He looked around and spotted him; Harry was walking with Granger. Their heads were bent close together and they seemed to be talking.   
  
Draco moved across the grounds, almost groaning out loud as the sun beat mercilessly down on him. "Harry!" he called out.   
  
The two Gryffindors stopped, and Harry turned, an immediate smile on his face. He saw Hermione turn as well, a small smile on her face once she realized who had called her friend's name.   
  
Draco reached the pair and brushed a hand across Harry's flushed cheek, unable to stop himself from touching the other boy. "Hi," he said, dropping his hand away. "Granger," he acknowledged the girl.   
  
"Hi yourself," Harry replied. He angled his body towards Draco, and whether it was on purpose or by accident, Draco wasn't sure. Harry looked Draco up and down slowly and a flush crawled up his face. Draco felt similar heat coursing through his body, but did his best to remain composed.   
  
Hermione coughed, no doubt to cover a laugh, and Harry jerked his gaze away from Draco's face.   
  
"How did your meeting with Dumbledore go?" he asked softly, eyes looking over Draco's shoulder instead of at his face.   
  
The question gained Hermione's attention; she looked at Draco with interest.   
  
"You had a meeting with Dumbledore?"   
  
Draco considered ignoring her question but decided that Harry probably wouldn't like it very much if he did that. "Yes," he said. "I was hoping to talk to Harry about that. Are you busy?" he asked.   
  
"We were just going to find Ron," he said with a glance at Hermione. His voice dropped slightly in volume. "To tell him about us," he added with a blush.   
  
"Oh," Draco said. He turned his attention to Hermione. "So you know," he said, arching his eyebrow, then realized that the statement was a little silly, as he'd been subconsciously aware of the fact since he approached the pair and had now simply succeeded in ruining the perfectly good game of "I know - You know - I know" he'd had going with the Head Girl.   
  
She arched her eyebrow in a perfect imitation of his earlier movement. "Yes," she said arrogantly, with a hint of amusement in her voice. Draco was impressed despite himself and fought to keep a smile off his face.   
  
"Okay," he replied, wanting to have the last word.   
  
Harry laughed and tried unsuccessfully to turn it into a cough. He placed a hand on Draco's arm, gaining his full attention.   
  
"Do you need me now or can I go talk to Ron?"   
  
Draco's immediate thought was "Yes, I need you, would you like to come back to my room?" but he brushed it away, and thought about a more appropriate answer to the question. He wanted to tell Harry what Dumbledore had said, but he knew how important it was for him to inform Ron of their relationship. "I can wait," he finally said, voice barely above a whisper.   
  
Harry smiled slightly. For the first time Draco became aware of just how nervous he was. He could see Harry's pulse pounding in his throat and his feet were shuffling awkwardly on the ground. He also kept wiping the palms of his hands on his shorts. Draco wanted to hold him and kiss away the nervousness, but didn't know if that would be appreciated. Harry always wanted to do things on his own. But still….   
  
"Do you want me to come with you?" The question surprised him as much as it had Harry, who blinked in response.   
  
"I, well, do you want to?" Harry finally got out, tilting his head to the side.   
  
"Only if you want me to," Draco replied, still unsure why he'd asked in the first place.   
  
"Okay," Harry said with a questioning glance at Hermione, who simply shrugged in response. "Thanks."   
  
Draco nodded. Harry held out a hand, which he immediately took, squeezing it slightly.   
  
"Let's go then," Harry said. He dropped Draco's hand after returning the squeeze, and they began to walk across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch, where Weasley apparently was.   
  
As soon as Weasley came into view, Draco felt Harry stiffen next to him. Hermione must have sensed it as well because she stopped him, placing a hand on his arm.   
  
"It'll be okay, Harry," she said, and Draco got the impression that she'd said that same line several times before.   
  
Harry took a deep breath and released it before responding. "I'm not so sure about that Hermione."   
  
She sighed. "Maybe you should just wait to tell him then." Draco could tell that she didn't really approve of that idea.   
  
"What do you think?" Harry rounded on Draco, piercing him with his gaze. There was desperation in those green eyes and a hope that maybe Draco would tell him what he wanted to hear.   
  
And as much as Draco wanted to tell Harry to wait, he knew that Harry needed to tell Weasley.   
  
"Harry," he said softly, reaching up a hand to cup his face. "You need to tell him now. He'll see that you're hiding something from him, you know that. You're a terrible liar."   
  
Harry sighed, turning his face slightly into the touch. "I know," he said, closing his eyes. Draco couldn't help himself; he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the other boy's lips, pulling away before he could respond. He caught Hermione looking at them, a smile that was threatening to break into a giggle on her face.   
  
"Come on, Harry," she said.   
  
The green eyes opened, a look of resolve in their depths. He walked towards the Quidditch pitch, determination in his stride.   
  
Hermione and Draco looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and set off after him.   
  
Harry reached Weasley and motioned towards the trees lining the pitch. Draco saw Weasley nod and follow Harry. The two were talking and Ron gestured to the sky, appearing to be talking about Quidditch.   
  
Hermione stopped suddenly, reaching out a hand to stop Draco. "Wait," she said. "Let's see if he can do it on his own."   
  
This idea didn't sound all that great to Draco, but he stopped nonetheless. Hermione sat against a tree, gesturing for him to sit as well. Draco rolled his eyes but obliged the girl, settling next to her with his back against the tree trunk.   
  
It was a little cooler beneath the tree, but still uncomfortably hot. Sweat dripped down his nose and Draco wiped it away. He realized Hermione was staring at him and turned to face her, eyebrow raised in question.   
  
"How long have you been in love with Harry?"   
  
The question caught him off guard. "I'm not," he said irritably.   
  
She gave him a long look. "You are. And you have been for a while now. I can tell. And I'm thinking he's part of the reason you decided not to become a Death Eater."   
  
Draco jerked backwards in surprise. No one had ever spoken so frankly to him about his decision, or his reasoning behind it. They'd never really questioned it, just as they rarely questioned anything Draco did. Of course, Hermione Granger had never been like everyone else.   
  
That was probably why Harry was such good friends with her.   
  
"I…," he began uncertainly. "How did you know that?"   
  
She smiled and shrugged. "I didn't. It was just a guess."   
  
"That was very Slytherin of you," he admitted, a hint of respect under toning the amusement in his voice.   
  
She shrugged again. "You are in love with him," she repeated. "You admitted that. I want to know how long."   
  
"Since last year," he said softly, twirling the ring on his finger.   
  
"Last year," she repeated. She looked like she was mulling over his answer. "That's why you stopped fighting with him all the time. And why you stopped picking on Ron and me, am I right?"   
  
Draco could only nod. She really was quite amazing. He felt his grudging respect for her growing even more.   
  
She nodded. "If you hurt him I'm going to make you sorry you were ever born. You know that right?" She said it like she was commenting on the weather and Draco couldn't help but laugh.   
  
"I know, Granger," he replied.   
  
"Hermione," she said with a small smile. "My name is Hermione."   
  
"Then mine is Draco," he responded, a hint of challenge in his voice. She nodded.   
  
"All right, Draco."   
  
He smiled slightly.   
  
"Ron!" he heard Harry yell suddenly, and was on his feet instantly. Weasley was headed straight for him, fury mixed in with a healthy dose of rage written all over his face. Draco felt instant dread course through his body; he really didn't like physical confrontations.   
  
"You bastard!" Ron cried, hitting Draco with the force of a freight train, fist connecting with Draco's eye, and knocking him back against the tree, before Draco even had time to raise an arm and try to deflect the blow he knew had been coming. Hermione jumped to her feet.   
  
"Ronald Weasley," she said in her best Head Girl voice, trying to grab hold of him.   
  
Ron ignored her and instead swung at Draco, who managed to duck the swing this time. The punch landed against the trunk of the tree and Weasley howled in pain and fury.   
  
"Weasley," Draco began, hands held out in front of him placatingly.   
  
Ron swung again and this one caught Draco off guard. He felt his lip split and could immediately taste blood.   
  
"Stop it!" Harry yelled, stepping between the two brawling boys. Ron swung again, intending to hit Draco, but the punch never landed, as Hermione had reached for her wand and shouted " _Petrificus Totalus_ ", halting Weasley mid-swing.   
  
"Honestly," she said, putting her wand away. "You can be so immature sometimes."   
  
Harry was immediately at Draco's side. "I'm so sorry. He got so mad, I couldn't stop him." He was trying to stop the bleeding with his shirt but his hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't. "Are you okay?"   
  
Draco opened his mouth to reply but Harry didn't let him, continuing on. "Of course you're not okay, he hit you. I'm so sorry. Ron!" he yelled suddenly, turning to face the paralyzed boy.   
  
Draco shook his head at Harry's rapidly changing emotions. Hermione handed him an ice pack that she'd transfigured from a leaf, muttering something about how she knew those medical spells would come in handy, which he promptly placed over his bruised eye. Draco flinched severely from the extreme cold placed to his face, on such a hot day.   
  
"You idiot, why didn't you just listen to me? I was trying to explain, and you just took off and can't you see?" Harry was nearly vibrating in anger. "I like him. I like him a lot. You, you're just jealous and I know you don't like him, but I like him and…." He cut off with a growl. "I should have known that you'd react like this. I  _did_  know." His hands clenched at his side and Draco saw his shoulders slump momentarily. "I was hoping that after everything we've been through that you could at least hear me out. But instead you accused me of being under some sort of curse! I … I don't want to talk to you right now."   
  
He turned back to Draco. "Do you want to go inside now? I don't want to stay out here any longer. I … I need to go in."   
  
Draco could see that the anger had drained out of him, and sadness was beginning to take over. Harry looked crushed, like he'd lost his best friend. And, Draco supposed, until both boys calmed down, he might have.   
  
"Yes. Let's go in." Talking hurt his lip and he winced slightly, moving the ice pack down to his mouth. Harry nodded slightly, and took hold of his hand, seeming to need the contact.   
  
"Hermione, you can end the spell. We're going in. Ron … oh, I just don't even want to talk to you."   
  
Draco heard a muttered " _Finite Incantatum_ " as they walked away. He turned around to see Weasley slump to the ground and Hermione standing over him, hands on her hips. She seemed to be about to launch into what Draco was sure would turn out to be a massive talking-to.   
  
Harry leaned against the side of his body, briefly resting his head on Draco's shoulder. "I should have seen that coming. He has a horrible temper. I'm sorry, Draco."   
  
Draco wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders, pulling him closer. His eye was throbbing and the cut on his lip was still bleeding, but Draco decided he'd endure much more as long as he had Harry by his side.  
  
_(end chapter eight)_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Please note that this chapter contains adult situations and may not be suitable for younger readers.**

The door to the study room slammed shut and Draco took a moment to look closely at Harry.   
  
Harry had allowed Draco to hold him for a moment outside before the anger at Ron had set back in. He'd then basically stormed across the grounds, one hand clamped in a vice-like grip on Draco's forearm, practically dragging the bruised boy behind him. They'd passed several groups of people who'd viewed the odd pair, one very livid Harry Potter and one very bruised Draco Malfoy, in a mixture of curiosity and unease. Most people scattered when Harry was that angry, and if the anger was seemingly aimed at Draco, they left twice as fast.   
  
Harry had ignored them all, muttering about stupid redheads jumping to conclusions and saying things they didn't mean, and had ended the tirade with something that sounded like "cluck it all to bell", but, in retrospect, Draco supposed that wasn't right.   
  
Now that he was alone with Harry, Draco was able to see just how upset he really was. He was still nearly vibrating in anger, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. His face, however, was the picture of despair. There was a sadness in those green eyes that nearly took Draco's breath away.   
  
Harry was holding himself tense and Draco wondered what it was that would finally cause this façade to crumble. Not wanting to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, he approached him cautiously.   
  
"Harry," he said, then stopped, unsure of what to say. He stepped closer and placed a hand on the boy's face, tilting it up so he could see into Harry's eyes.   
  
Those eyes widened and Harry raised his hands, gently touching the bruises left by Ron's fists. "Do they hurt?" he asked softly, brushing a finger carefully across Draco's eyelid.   
  
Draco winced slightly in response.   
  
"I'm so sorry," Harry said again. "I can fix them. I know some Mediwizard spells."   
  
Draco nodded and closed his eyes. He felt the tip of the wand at his temple and felt a brief moment of uncertainty, drilled into him from all of his Dark Arts training. He could hear his father's voice ringing in his head.  _Never let anyone get close enough to you to perform a curse._  He was completely at Harry's mercy and one spell could end his life, but he pushed the feeling away, silencing his father's words in his head, and made himself relax. He remembered Harry's words to Ron: "I like him. I like him a lot."   
  
Harry murmured a spell and Draco felt the pain around his eye vanish and the cut on his lip tingle and, he presumed, disappear. Harry pulled his wand away and Draco opened his eyes, raising a hand to make sure everything was back to normal, watching as the wand was deposited in the pocket of Harry's shorts.  
  
"Thank you," Draco said, and then arched an eyebrow. "Where did you learn to do that spell? That's some pretty powerful magic, isn't it?"   
  
Harry shrugged, his hair falling messily over his forehead, a slight smile on his face. "More or less. And Sirius taught me." He sighed, eyes closing, and his shoulders slumped. "He taught Hermione and Ron, too, last summer when we all stayed at the Burrow."   
  
_Always the Gryffindor trio_ , Draco thought, but didn't say anything. Harry seemed to be on the verge of tears again and he wasn't sure what to do. Draco knew that Harry had horrible mood swings, especially of late as Voldemort's attacks increased in frequency. When he was in a particularly bad mood he tended to snap at people, as he'd done with Hermione earlier.   
  
As Draco watched, the anger seemed to return, and Harry picked up the nearest object to him, this time a Charms textbook, and hurled it across the study room into the wall. It made a loud "thump" as it made contact with the stone wall, and Draco jumped slightly at the outburst. The action didn't seem to satisfy Harry, though, who looked around for something else to throw, settling instead on kicking one of the chairs, fists clenching once again at his sides.  
  
"Fucking Ron," Harry muttered, closing his eyes and drawing in a deep breath. Draco continued to watch silently, not even moving from the spot he'd been standing for fear of causing another outburst.  
  
Suddenly Harry's knees gave out and he slumped to the floor, knees coming up to his chest, glasses flung across the room and face buried in his hands. The anger had again turned to sadness, the tears he'd been trying to keep in burst forth and sobs wracked his body.   
  
Draco dropped to his knees, hands fluttering nervously above the hysterically crying figure, unsure if this mood would last any longer than the previous ones. He wanted to give comfort but didn't know exactly how to do it. People crying made him nervous, as Draco himself never cried, or at least not where anyone could see him. The last person who had cried in front of him had been Pansy, when she'd left her parents behind to join Dumbledore, and he remembered how awkward he'd felt as he'd patted her on the back.   
  
Uncertainly, Draco leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Harry, who immediately slumped into him, head resting beneath his chin. It was an awkward position, as Harry still had his knees drawn up to his chest, but Draco didn't move, wanting to let the boy get everything out. He could feel the hot tears sliding down his neck, making the collar of his shirt damp, but didn't move to wipe them away.   
  
After awhile the sobs quieted and only the occasional jerking breath was drawn in. Keeping his face buried, Harry shifted, dropping his knees to the ground and wrapping his arms around the Draco's back. He turned his head, taking in a deep breath, and released it on a shuddering sigh.   
  
Draco slid a hand up into the dark hair, damp with sweat, and twisted his fingers into the strands to tilt Harry's head back. The green eyes lifted to his, still wet with tears. Draco used his free hand to wipe away the tracks left by the tears, brushing a kiss over both of the flushed cheeks.   
  
"I'm sorry," Harry said again, voice dropping to a whisper. "I'm carrying on like a complete ninny."  
  
Draco shook his head, grabbing Harry's chin to keep him from looking away. "Don't be ridiculous. You needed that. I've heard that throwing things can really help your temper to subside. Perhaps I ought to give it a try the next time I'm angry about something." Draco purposely didn't mention the fact that Harry had just burst into tears in front of him, positive that he was embarrassed enough without him bringing the topic up.  
  
Harry blushed and leaned forward, placing a kiss on the mouth inches in front of him. Draco opened his mouth slightly in response, wanting Harry to take the lead. Harry's tongue met his hesitantly at first, then more boldly, sliding together almost perfectly with his own. Draco was struck again at the way they fit together, every important part meeting.   
  
They pulled apart and Harry gasped for breath. Draco smiled, thrilled at the reaction he'd caused. Harry's eyes opened and Draco was amazed at what he saw. The pupils were fully dilated, and there was only a thin ring of green around them. The look was full of desire and Draco nearly gasped as he realized that desire was for him.   
  
Harry raised his hands to Draco's face, tracing them across his features. The tips of his fingers brushed lightly across Draco's lips, the tip of one finger slipping between them. Draco nipped at it with his teeth and received a shy smile in return. The finger slid free and continued up his face, leaving a slightly damp trail in its wake. The hands slid over the bridge of his nose, across both cheeks, over two closed eyes, over his forehead, and into his hair, sliding through the blond strands like silk. Draco drew in a deep breath; no one had ever touched him like that, and he was amazed at the feelings Harry's touch could invoke in him.   
  
Harry brought his hands back down to frame Draco's face, and murmured something that Draco didn't catch. He opened his eyes, head tilting in question.   
  
"What?"   
  
Harry blushed. "I said you're beautiful." The blush deepened at Draco's incredulous smile. "You are," he said, voice barely above a whisper. He leaned forward and captured Draco's mouth with his own again to save himself from further conversation.   
  
Draco was aware of the heat pooling in his lower body and decided that it was time to get out of this private room before he jumped on Harry and ravished him senseless. Although the idea appealed to Draco, he wasn't so sure it was a suitable time to give in to his hormones, given that less than five minutes before, Harry had experienced a near emotional breakdown.   
  
He pulled away from the kiss, smiling slightly at Harry's pout. That look on his face was almost enough to put Draco in hysterics, but he swallowed them back. He stood effortlessly and pulled Harry to his feet, picking up his glasses and replacing them on his face. "Come on, let's go for a walk by the lake. I want to tell you what Dumbledore said."   
  
The pout disappeared and was replaced by a more pensive look. "Okay," was the reply. Draco opened the door to what was rapidly becoming their room and held it open for Harry, who stepped through, chewing on his lower lip. It was amazing, Draco mused, that such a simple action could be so erotic, but he pushed that thought away, as the hallway wasn't really an appropriate place to be thinking such things.   
  
They walked outside and Draco looked around, in search of Hermione or Weasley and wondering where they'd gone after Harry and he'd disappeared. Harry turned to face him, hand shielding his eyes from the sun.   
  
"Where do you want to walk?"   
  
Draco glanced around, trying to determine where the least amount of people were. Seeing that most were in the shade along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, he said, "Let's walk by the lake."   
  
Harry nodded and smiled, dropping the hand that was shielding his eyes and wrapping the thumb and forefinger around Draco's wrist. He began to walk faster, once again basically dragging Draco behind him, until he reached the shoreline.   
  
"Do you want to walk around it?"   
  
Draco looked around. There weren't any people along the water that he could tell, and this would allow him to touch the other boy without anyone seeing. Of course, it might be easier to tell Harry what Dumbledore had said if he were sitting, but, judging by Harry's gestures, he wanted to be moving. So, Draco obliged him, saying, "Yes."   
  
Harry did a cursory look around, too, and, after deciding that it was safe, reached for Draco's hand, sliding his fingers in between Draco's own, palm against palm.   
  
"So," he began, glancing briefly at Draco. "What did he want?"   
  
Draco thought about what he was going to say for a minute then responded. "I have to go into Malfoy Manor and retrieve a book." He held up his free hand to halt the protest that was about to begin. "Let me get everything out. Then you can ask questions. Okay?"   
  
Harry frowned at him, but grudgingly nodded his consent.   
  
Draco explained about the charm on the family library where only a person of Malfoy blood could enter. He explained about the book that Lucius kept under a glass case, and how they needed that book to end the heat spell on Hogwarts. He explained how the Manor was warded just like Hogwarts and how it was going to be dangerous to get in but he could do it, because he was a good wizard and was going to be working with Sirius to learn the spells needed to get through the wards. He told about how he was going to create a hole in the wards large enough to get through in his Animagus form, which was a silver fox. This received a sound of surprise from Harry, although he didn't ask any questions, waiting like he was told to until Draco was done.   
  
Draco then turned to face Harry, taking both of his hands in his. He explained that he was doing this for Harry and for all the other students at Hogwarts. He was going to do this because he was the only one who  _could_  do it, and it was his duty, just as defeating Voldemort was Harry's. He explained that he was doing this for his mother, who'd gone through so much pain at the hands of Lucius. And, last but not least, he was doing this for himself, to prove that he wasn't like his father, and to prove that he was capable of being reliable, and to get rid of the stigma that Slytherins were untrustworthy.   
  
At the end of his speech he stopped, looking at Harry and waiting for the response he knew was coming. Harry, though, simply blinked his eyes, and replied, "Okay."   
  
"Okay?"   
  
He shrugged, lifting one of Draco's hands to brush a kiss across the back of it. "I've come to realize lately that I can't do everything on my own, that I'm going to have to trust others and put those I care about in harms way. I know you have to do this. Do I want you to do this? Of course not. But I don't really have a choice, since Dumbledore has already told you that you  _are_  doing it. All I can do is help you learn the spells you're going to need, and hope to God that you return to Hogwarts safely. I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to you." The last line was said softly, and Harry drew Draco's hand up to his cheek, rubbing his face against it slightly. He looked very much like a little boy, but Draco knew that under that exterior was the heart of a warrior, of a Gryffindor, and a very powerful Wizard.   
  
"I thought you'd be angry with me," Draco admitted after a moment, and received a slight smile in response.   
  
"I've been told that the world doesn't revolve around me and I can't control everything that happens."   
  
Draco grinned. "And who was it that told you that?"   
  
"I believe it was this one boy, a couple years ago. He was a complete prat, arrogant beyond belief and used to try to get me into trouble all the time. He hung around with these two really big apes that I was always afraid would try to beat me up. I believe he was a Slytherin, and we know how those types are."   
  
Draco laughed, pulling Harry to him and wrapping his arms around his back. "Yes, we know." He placed a kiss on the top of Harry's head. "What are you planning on doing tonight?"   
  
Harry sighed. "I'm not sure. I don't want to go back to Gryffindor. I'm not ready to face Ron."   
  
"I would imagine that Hermione is not too pleased with him at the moment."   
  
"No, but I want him to come to me and apologize. I'm not going to apologize to him. I didn't do anything wrong."   
  
Draco didn't say that he thought Harry was being stubborn, and then thought that maybe it was a Gryffindor trait. He remembered fourth year when Weasley had stopped hanging around with Harry for awhile after his name had been pulled from the Goblet of Fire and how it had taken until after the First Task to get them back together. He hoped this wouldn't be a repeat of that; he didn't imagine that Harry could handle being without his friend.   
  
"Do you want to keep walking?" he finally asked, backing up slightly to see Harry's face.   
  
Harry nodded, again taking hold of one of Draco's hands. "Let's go this way," he indicated a path to the right of the lake, and they set off down it. Neither said anything, both thinking about the tasks that lay ahead for them.   
  
***   
  
"So your Animagus form is a silver fox?"   
  
Harry saw Draco glance over at him curiously.   
  
"Yes," he answered, arching an eyebrow. "Why?"   
  
Harry smiled, turning to face him. Instead of responding, he focused his energy on the transformation spell, feeling his body move into its familiar shape. As he transformed, he heard Draco say his name, surprise clearly evident in his voice.  
  
Harry sat back on his hind legs, looking up at Draco, who seemed to have gotten over his shock and had knelt down in front of him.  
  
"Wow, Harry," he said reverently, reaching out a hand to pet the red fur. "We look almost exactly alike, except for the color, and the lightning bolt on your forehead."  
  
Harry tilted his head to the side, and flicked his tail once. Draco laughed before taking a quick glance around and transforming himself. His grey eyes stared at Harry from the sleek silver fur, as he brought himself nose-to-nose with his companion. Draco sat back, matching Harry's position exactly, before leaning forward and licking Harry just once on his face.  
  
"You're right," Harry said as he transformed back, Draco following suit. "We do look a lot alike." He pointed toward a fallen log, slightly covered in moss, and sat on it, patting the space next to him. Draco sat, tilting his head slightly to the side in question, as it was obvious that there was more to this statement.   
  
"The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin," Harry said softly. He glanced at Draco, who sat back slightly, appearing to be mulling this over.   
  
"You, a Slytherin?" he finally asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.   
  
Harry laughed slightly. "It told me I would do well in Slytherin. But I told it I didn't want to be put there. So it put me in Gryffindor instead."   
  
"Why didn't you want to be in Slytherin?" Draco asked, clearly not understanding.   
  
"I was told that there wasn't a wizard who'd gone bad who wasn't in Slytherin, and that Voldemort himself was in that house. I didn't want to be in the same house as the person who'd murdered my parents," Harry answered, conveniently omitting the part where Draco's obnoxious behavior on their first meeting had also contributed to his decision.   
  
Draco nodded slowly. "Well that makes sense I guess. I'd always wanted to be in Slytherin."   
  
"Yes, you told me," Harry said dryly, "the first time we met."   
  
Draco laughed. "That's right! I'd forgotten all about that." He shook his head. "I was such a brat."   
  
"You were," Harry agreed solemnly. He took one of Draco's hands in his, rubbing his thumb gently across the back of the hand. "I'm glad you're not now."   
  
Draco stared at him for a moment before leaning over and brushing a kiss across his lips. He started to pull away, but Harry stopped him with his free hand, deepening the kiss.   
  
Harry broke the kiss after a moment, very aware of the effect it was having on the lower half of his body. He drew in a deep breath, trying to get himself back under control. No one had ever made him feel the way Draco did, and he was a little scared of the power he had over him.   
  
Harry stood suddenly, wanting to put a little space between himself and the other boy. He was aware of Draco's gaze on him, and also realized that Draco probably knew why he'd reacted the way he had, as many people had told him how horrible he was at hiding his feelings.   
  
"Harry," Draco said softly, "turn around and look at me."   
  
Harry obliged, albeit slowly, a wary expression on his face.   
  
Draco looked at him for a second before saying anything. When he spoke, it was done carefully, but in a tone of voice that didn't leave room for questions.   
  
"You know how I feel about you, right?"   
  
He started to shake his head, but stopped, shrugging his shoulders instead.   
  
Draco stood up and took a step, bringing him closer.   
  
"I'm not going to lie," he said softly. "I want you, and I have for quite some time."   
  
Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't been expecting such an honest response.   
  
Draco continued in that same tone of voice, slowly closing the distance between them. "But I'd never make you do anything you didn't want to. I want you to be comfortable with everything that goes on between us. And we can take it slow; I'm not in any rush. I'm just happy to spend time alone with you." By this time he was directly in front of Harry, who drew in a shuddering breath.   
  
"I want you, too," Harry said, "but I've never…." He trailed off uncertainly.   
  
"You've never been with a boy?"   
  
Harry shook his head, color rushing into his cheeks. "I've never been with anyone." He looked away, absolutely mortified.   
  
Draco blinked, clearly surprised. "No one?" he asked without thinking, and received an embarrassed, "No," in response.   
  
Pale hands suddenly framed Harry's face, tilting it up so he was looking directly into a pair of grey eyes.   
  
"Don't worry about it. We can figure everything out together."   
  
Harry could only nod, slightly amused by this. "Okay," he said, blushing again.   
  
Draco leaned forward, stopping inches from his mouth, and slid his hands around Harry, resting one on the small of his back and the other between his shoulder blades. He stepped closer, fitting Harry against him and finally took the waiting mouth with his.   
  
This kiss was different than the previous ones, hinting at the depth of passion just under the surface. It was dark and slightly dangerous, and Harry found himself wanting more. He could feel his body responding and was surprised when he realized that Draco was also aroused. That thought was heady; he'd never thought he would ever have that effect on anyone.   
  
He wrapped one hand in the blond strands of hair, the other settling on Draco's upper arm, tightening as the kiss deepened. He clung to it like it was the only thing keeping him standing, and in fact it may have been. His knees were threatening to give out and when Draco broke the kiss, Harry swore he saw stars.   
  
"Wow," he murmured, awestruck, and received an arrogant, "Indeed," in response. Draco released Harry, brushing his hand across his cheek.   
  
"We should go back to the castle. It's almost dinner time, and people will be wondering where we are."   
  
Harry, still practically blown away by the kiss, could only nod. Draco laughed.   
  
"Come on, Harry." He took one of Harry's hands, threading his fingers through the other boy's, pulling him in the direction of the school.   
  
"When do you start working with Sirius?" Harry finally asked, voice still slightly breathless.   
  
"Tonight. He's hoping to have me able to cast the first spell I'll need after this first session. It's the easiest one I'll have to cast, but it's still more difficult than anything I've ever tried before."   
  
Harry was silent for a moment. When he'd told Draco earlier that he wasn't mad about Dumbledore's decision to send him into Malfoy Manor, he hadn't been entirely honest. The anger was not directed at Draco, of course, because Harry understood that Draco was the only one who could retrieve the book. His anger was directed solely at Dumbledore and his willingness to put Draco in danger. Although Harry realized that Draco had to do it, he was still unsure and very scared that something would go wrong.   
  
"Do you want to do this? Honestly want to?" Harry asked, turning to face him.   
  
Draco didn't say anything at first, and Harry could tell he was thinking it over.   
  
"Yes," he said finally, then paused again, sighing. "It's kind of my way to help out not only the  _Adversarius_ , but the Order as well. I feel like I haven't really contributed that much since I joined, with the exception of the Invincibility potion. And it's a good way to get back at my father."   
  
"Your father," Harry repeated. "Do you, well…." He cleared his throat, not sure if he should ask the question. "Do you love him?" he finally asked, nervousness clear in his voice.   
  
Draco opened his mouth to respond, but closed it before saying anything. He had a rather perplexed look on his face, almost like he'd never thought about the question before.   
  
"Do I love him?" he repeated, then shrugged. "I never really thought about it before. I'd always looked up to him, admired him, and wanted to make him proud. When I was younger, I wanted to be like him, and I wanted people to tell me that I  _was_  like him. But, I'm not really sure I loved him."   
  
Harry was surprised at that. Although he couldn't really remember his parents, he knew without a doubt that he loved them. He'd always thought that children loved their parents unconditionally. His confusion must have shown on his face because Draco smiled slightly and tried to explain.   
  
"Harry you have to understand a few things about my life. I didn't have a normal happy childhood. My parents spent very little time with me. My mother was always in her own world, doing everything my father told her, being the perfect trophy wife. I didn't realize until later that it was because she was unhappy. And he was too obsessed with his Dark Arts and trying to bring back the Dark Lord to even say much to me. He was very controlling, telling me what to do and when to do it. He only said anything to me if it was an insult, or if he wanted me to do something different. He never complimented me, it was always, 'You can do better' or 'You had better do a better job next time'. I don't think he ever loved me, I was just a possession, a trophy like my mother. 'Look, everyone, this is my son, see how perfect he is, how much he looks like me?'" The last part was said in a drawling tone so identical to Lucius' that it sent a chill down Harry's spine.   
  
"So no, I didn't love him," Draco continued in his normal voice. "I respected him; but I didn't love him."   
  
This was said with a finality that let Harry know that Draco would prefer to drop the subject, and Harry obliged. He pulled at Draco's hand to get him walking again, as they'd stopped when Harry had asked his question.   
  
"Where are you and Sirius going to work?"   
  
"In the Charms classroom. Are you going to be there?" There was a glimmer of hope in the question, which made Harry smile.   
  
"Of course," he said. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."   
  
This earned a smile from Draco, and Harry smiled again in response. The two finished their walk in silence, dropping hands once they were in view of the front doors. They paused just outside the doors to the Great Hall.  
  
"So, I'll see you after dinner, then?" Draco asked.   
  
Harry nodded, opening the door. "I'll be there."   
  
Draco nodded, heading directly for the Slytherin table. Harry watched him weave his way gracefully through the students still standing.   
  
"Are you going to sit down, Harry, or stand there all day?" Hermione asked, appearing in the doorway, a smile on her face.   
  
"Sit down, of course. Did you … talk to Ron?"   
  
She frowned slightly, shaking her head. "Ignore him, Harry. He'll come around."   
  
They sat across from Ginny, who smiled in greeting, and Harry glanced down the table. Ron was sitting next to Neville and Dean, back turned in Harry's direction. Harry's shoulders slumped momentarily as he turned back to Hermione, who gave him a sad smile.   
  
"He'll come around," she said again, in her characteristically confident voice.   
  
He nodded once, focusing on filling his plate. Ron ignoring him hurt, but Harry tamped down on the feeling. There was much to do within the next week; Harry couldn't afford to think only of Ron's reaction to his discovery of Harry's feelings for Draco, not when Draco himself was going to be in a lot of danger very soon.   
  
He suddenly felt someone looking at him and lifted his head, eyes immediately meeting a pair of grey ones from across the room. He smiled.   
  
Even though Ron was angry at him now, Harry decided that being with Draco was entirely worth it.   
  
_(end chapter nine)_


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter contains adult situations that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised.**

The sessions with Sirius were coming along well, and Draco smiled in satisfaction.  
  
He was currently sitting outside on the grounds on the same log he and Harry had occupied after their walk around the lake, when Harry had surprised him with his Animagus form. Harry was seated next to him, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his thighs, talking about their upcoming Potions exam. It was obvious that Harry was not looking forward to it, as he was currently lamenting the fact that he hadn't studied as much as he should have.  
  
Draco let his thoughts drift,  _hmm_ ing and nodding at appropriate times, letting Harry's voice float over him. He loved the other boy's voice; it was a rich baritone that was very calming and tended to soothe Draco's scattered thoughts. Although that voice was never very loud, it seemed to penetrate into Draco's soul, and Draco welcomed the intrusion, more than willing to share himself with Harry.  
  
He realized that the other boy had fallen silent and turned to look at him, head tilted slightly, studying the face that had come to mean so much to him.  
  
"What?" he asked Harry, who smiled slightly at him.  
  
"Nothing," he replied, shrugging, pushing his hair off his forehead. "You just seem lost in thought, that's all."  
  
Draco nodded. He was thinking about his upcoming "mission", as Harry had termed it, and the fact that it really was a lot more dangerous than anyone seemed willing to say aloud.  
  
He'd learned how to cast three of the six spells needed to take down the Manor's wards in four days, which had surprised Sirius slightly until Draco had told him with a smirk that he'd had Dark Arts training in the past. Sirius had simply responded with a quickly muttered, "Of course you have."  
  
Harry had attended each of the sessions, sitting on the top of Flitwick's desk, and watching carefully. Draco had no doubt in his mind that Harry could cast all the spells they'd practiced, even though he'd never once tried.  
  
Narcissa also attended the sessions. Draco wasn't sure if this was to be with Sirius or himself, and decided that it didn't matter either way, as long as she was happy. It had been too long since she was honestly happy.  
  
He and Harry had spent all their spare time together, getting used to each other and how they fit together. They never went any farther than kissing, as Draco wanted Harry to be totally comfortable with the idea. Instead, Draco contented himself with small touches and stolen moments; hands brushing slightly in Potions, shoulders bumping together in the hall, and stolen kisses in broom closets and the Quidditch shed. Whenever they were alone, they were holding hands or touching in some way, and Draco loved it. And if he were honest with himself, that wasn't the only thing he loved.  
  
He loved Harry.  
  
Absolutely and completely.  
  
When the realization had first dawned on him, Draco had been terrified, right up until the next time he had seen Harry. He couldn't help but be comforted in Harry's presence, and he had quickly accepted and become accustomed to the fact that for the first time in his life, he, Draco Malfoy, was in love with someone.  
  
Harry was his whole world, and Draco thought, that maybe,  _just maybe_ , Harry felt the same way about him.  
  
Glancing at his watch, he realized they needed to go back in, as they had Potions in fifteen minutes.  
  
"Come on, Harry," he said, standing up. Harry stood, too, and Draco wrapped his arms around him, placing a kiss on his temple, feeling the other boy's arms come around to hold him as well. It was still very hot outside and the temperature, coupled with the boys' body heat was slightly uncomfortable, but Draco found he didn't mind in the least.  
  
They stayed that way for a moment, Harry's head settled on Draco's shoulder. Harry finally pulled away slightly, placing a brief but not chaste kiss on Draco's mouth, and stooped to pick up his books.  
  
Draco did so as well, turning up the path, Harry following a little behind him. He was meeting with Sirius again tonight, to hopefully learn the fourth spell. Dumbledore wanted him to go into the Manor on the coming Saturday, and Draco was working hard to get the spells learned in time. There was obviously some significance to Saturday's date, but Draco didn't ask, merely working hard to master the spells and contribute his part to the cause. He'd learned a long time ago that you didn't ask the Headmaster questions because you never received the answers you were looking for.  
  
He knew Harry was concerned about his going to the Manor. He himself was nervous about it as well, but had faith in his abilities, knowing that he was powerful wizard and that he would succeed. He didn't even want to think about what might happen if he were caught; Lucius' punishment would most certainly be death.  
  
They reached the school and began their walk to the dungeons. Draco's shirt was sticking uncomfortably to his back with sweat, making him miserable. Harry didn't appear to be feeling much better, but Draco had to admire the way the flush from the heat lit up his face. Harry was beautiful. Of course, whenever Draco tried to tell him that, he simply blushed and shook his head, saying, "No, I'm not," in an embarrassed tone of voice.  
  
Draco pushed a hand through his sweat-dampened hair, shoving it back off his forehead. He ran a hand down his trousers, straightening them out. Harry regarded him with a smile; he rarely worried about his appearance. His hair was disheveled, shirt untucked, and his glasses were sliding down his nose.  
  
And still Draco thought he was the most gorgeous thing in the world.  
  
Draco gave up the idea of making himself look half-way decent as a lost cause, and instead opened the door to the Potions room. Harry stepped through and headed towards his seat in the front, looking backwards over his shoulder to see if Draco was following him. Draco did, of course, sitting next to Harry and pulling out his parchment and quill. Hermione entered the room behind them, walking up front and stopping next to Draco, eyebrows raised in question.  
  
"Would you like to join us, Granger?" Draco asked, using her last name since they were around other people.  
  
"That would be great, Malfoy. I want to sit next to Harry, though, so you both need to get up."  
  
The boys obliged, Harry grinning, and Hermione sat, pulling out her supplies.  
  
"How are you both today?" she asked softly, so the others wouldn't hear.  
  
"Fine," Harry whispered, glancing briefly at Draco. "We're fine."  
  
She nodded. "Have you talked to Ron?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "He won't even stay in the room when I enter, how am I supposed to talk to him?"  
  
She pursed her lips. "I don't know, Harry. But you'll have to keep trying."  
  
He shook his head again. "I'm getting tired of trying, Hermione."  
  
Draco watched the exchange silently, not wanting to interrupt them. He knew Harry was hurt by Weasley's reaction, and knew that Harry wanted nothing more than to have his friend back. He glanced around; Weasley was currently sitting next to Finnigan. They were chatting, but Draco saw the quick glances Ron was throwing in Harry's direction. Maybe they'd be able to work it out after all.  
  
Snape came in and class started, although they didn't brew anything. They simply took notes: pages and pages of notes. Hermione didn't seem to miss a word, but Draco found that the lecture was too boring to hold even his attention, which was rare as Potions was a subject he truly enjoyed. Harry, too, seemed to be drifting off, but would snap to attention at the well-placed elbows in his ribs, courtesy of Hermione. Draco found it sort of amusing; he wondered if that happened in all their lessons and decided he'd have to start paying better attention.  
  
The rest of his classes passed in a blur; Draco didn't really pay attention to any of them. To his surprise, he found that he was actually looking forward to his next session with Sirius, and, of course, seeing Harry.  
  
Not watching where he was going, he walked directly into someone, the collision taking the breath out of him.  
  
"Sorry," came a flustered response and he looked up, directly into a pair of green eyes.  
  
"Harry," he said with a grin.  
  
"Oh, Draco," Harry replied, bending to pick up his books. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you, I was in a rush…." His words trailed off and his breath hitched.  
  
"Are you okay?" Draco asked. Harry looked like he was going to burst into tears at any moment.  
  
Harry drew in a deep breath, which hitched again as he released it. "No," he said, eyes welling up. "No I'm really not."  
  
After a quick, cursory glance around to make sure no one was nearby, Draco grabbed Harry by the elbow, propelling him down the hall, down the steps leading to the dungeons, and into the study room that had become a second home to them both. Harry collapsed into a chair, dropping his books on the floor, and covering his face with his hands. He drew in another breath and released it shakily before speaking.  
  
"I'm sorry. I was just talking to Ron…." He pulled his glasses off, setting them on the table, and scrubbed his hands across his face.  
  
"What did Weasley say?" Draco asked, a dangerous purr to his voice.  
  
"Oh, you know. He called me a few names, said I was crazy, told me he never wanted to speak to me again. About what I was expecting I suppose."  
  
Draco remained silent, placing his hands on Harry's shoulders and starting to massage out the tension. Harry shook him off and stood up, picking up one of his books and hurling it into the wall. This was followed by a swift kick to a nearby chair. The noise was loud in the small room, and Draco jumped.   
  
"Feel better?" he asked after a moment, realizing that the tears he'd seen in Harry's eyes were from anger rather than sadness.  
  
Harry sighed, and sat back down, putting his face in his hands. "Sorry," he mumbled.  
  
Draco shook his head. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"He just makes me so  _angry_ ," Harry said. He rubbed his eyes again, then put his glasses back on. "And what he's saying, the names he uses…." He trailed off. "They hurt," he finally said, in a voice slightly above a whisper.  
  
Draco leaned forward, wrapping his arms around him and kissing the top of his head. "I'm sorry, Harry. I wish there was something I could do."  
  
Harry stood, turning to face him. "It doesn't matter. You're here. That's all I need." He hugged Draco to him, turning his face into the side of his neck. Draco felt one of those angry tears slide down Harry's face and into the collar of his shirt, belying Harry's words.  
  
"What are you doing tonight?" he asked Harry suddenly.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I don't know."  
  
"Well, after my session with Sirius, would you like to come to my room?" Draco asked the question calmly, although inside he was tense, waiting for Harry's response.  
  
"Your room?" Harry asked, lifting his head to look in Draco's eyes.  
  
Draco nodded. "Yeah, you know. It'll be a bit more private there…." He trailed off, looking closely at the other boy.  
  
Harry seemed to think about it for a moment. "What would we do there?" he finally asked, voice catching on the last word.  
  
"Whatever you want. I don't want to push you or anything…." He stopped again. Draco hadn't been intending to invite the other boy to his room. He wasn't sure how comfortable Harry was with the idea, and didn't want to scare him away. He was just about to tell Harry to forget the whole thing when the other boy surprised him.  
  
"I'd like that. To come to your room. I…." Harry cleared his throat, cheeks flaming. "I want to spend time with you. Alone. I … I want to … you know…." He dropped his eyes to the floor.  
  
Draco did not know what he meant, although he had an idea. "Harry, I want you, you know that. And if you come to my room, well, I may not be able to stop myself from going further than we have been in the past."  
  
Harry looked up. "I want to go further." It was said matter-of-factly, although still quiet. "I want you, too, Draco. More than anything."  
  
Draco drew in a shaky breath and released it on a hiss. "Are you sure Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded, pulling Draco down for a kiss. "I'm sure. I know what I want."  
  
Draco kissed him back, head spinning dizzily. Harry wanted him.  
  
"Okay. Here's what we'll do then…."  
  
***  
  
Harry slipped silently through the door, Invisibility Cloak covering him, and followed Pansy into the Slytherin common room. He hadn't been there since second year when he and Ron had polyjuiced themselves into Crabbe and Goyle. He inwardly laughed at the memory; how could they have actually thought Draco was the Heir of Slytherin? Of course, Harry knew a lot more about Draco now than he had when he was twelve. But the thought still made him laugh a little.  
  
He then sobered as he thought of Ron; he hadn't really said anything to Harry since his discovery of Harry and Draco's relationship with the exception of those hurtful words earlier that day, and never failed to frown or look disgusted when Harry would disappear for a while. He shook his head to clear that thought away; there wasn't anything he could do about it at the moment.  
  
Pansy had seated herself on the sofa in front of the fireplace. There was no fire in the grate, of course, since the common room was still beyond hot. Harry took a moment to glance around the room.  
  
The dungeon looked a lot like it had five years ago. There were two black leather sofas in front of the fireplace, along with two matching armchairs. An Oriental rug was on the floor, and silver and green tapestries hung over the fireplace. The Slytherin banner was hung directly over the entrance. There were several tables along the edge of the room, piles of books stacked on each. A few people were sitting at the tables, working on what appeared to be homework, bits of parchment and quills scattered around them.  
  
There were three staircases, two going up and one going down. Draco had told him that the two staircases going up went to the boys' and girls' dormitories. The one going down led to the Prefects' rooms.  
  
Harry pushed away from the wall, walking quietly across the room. He sidestepped Theodore Nott, who chose that moment to get up from one of the tables, and headed down the stairs. He skipped the second step from the bottom, as Draco had told him it squeaked, walking slowly down the hallway.  
  
Each Slytherin prefect had their own room. Harry thought there was something wrong with that as it wasn't that way for the other houses. Draco had told him that Snape had pulled some strings, and it helped that the Slytherins came from rather rich households and gave large amounts of money to the school. There were six rooms in this hallway; Draco's room was the third on the left. Before Harry could reach it, the door to his right swung open, and fifth year prefect Natalie Montague stepped out. She narrowly missed walking directly into Harry, who managed to squeeze himself against the wall.  
  
His heart now in his throat, Harry took a few calming breaths. He was already nervous about meeting Draco alone in his room. Any more shocks and Harry thought he might very well have a heart attack.  
  
He finally made it to Draco's door and reached down and turned the knob. Draco had left the door unlocked in order for Harry to get in. He stepped inside closing the door gently behind him.  
  
Pulling the cloak off, he quietly asked, "Draco?"  
  
Suddenly, at a whispered  _Lumos_ , the room was filled with flickering light. There were candles all along the edge of the room. Harry allowed a small gasp to escape; the room looked absolutely beautiful.  
  
Draco was sitting in one of the chairs in front of his fireplace. He was dressed all in black, which suited his coloring perfectly. He was also barefoot. Harry had never seen him look so stunning.  
  
"Harry," Draco said, fluidly standing up. Harry remained mesmerized; he was quite content to stand there and stare at Draco forever.  
  
Draco smiled, closing the distance between them. He reached out, pulling the Invisibility Cloak from Harry's numb fingers. He turned, carefully folding the cloak and laid it over the back of his desk chair. He then murmured a Locking spell and with a flick of his wand, a Silencing charm followed. The wand was then deposited carefully on his desk.  
  
He then turned back around, raising his right hand to Harry's face, lightly caressing his cheek. "You made it," Draco said softly, running his fingers briefly across Harry's lips.  
  
A quick and breathy "Yes," was all Harry was capable of responding with at first, as he turned his face into Draco's touch. "I almost ran into Natalie, though. She scared me half to death."  
  
"Hmm," Draco responded noncommittally. He slid his fingers down over Harry's cheekbone and jaw line and rested them against his pulse.  
  
Harry was dressed in another red polo shirt and a pair of khaki trousers. Draco's fingers reached his collar, dipping slightly under it, then stopped. "Did you have any other problems getting down here?"  
  
"No," Harry replied, releasing the word in a shuddering breath. "Both Ron and Hermione are out. Not that Ron would have bothered me, seeing as we're still not talking."  
  
Draco nodded, reaching up with his other hand to start undoing the buttons on Harry's shirt, sufficiently distracting Harry from his rather depressing train of thought that was his relationship with Ron. "So you don't need to leave for any reason then."  
  
"No," Harry whispered, raising his chin to allow better access. He raised shaking hands, settling them around Draco's wrists.  
  
By then Draco had the three buttons undone. He laid his hands flat on Harry's chest; Harry could feel the heat of those hands through the material of his shirt. Raising an eyebrow, Draco said, "Good."  
  
Harry suddenly found himself pulled against Draco's body and nearly groaned at the contact. Draco slid his hands back up to Harry's face, pulling off his glasses and setting them on the desk. He leaned forward, stopping a breath away from Harry's mouth. "Kiss me," he demanded, and Harry had no choice but to oblige.  
  
Draco's lips met his tenderly, his hands moving into Harry's hair. Harry found himself clinging to Draco as the kiss deepened and caused his knees to weaken. Draco's tongue met his in light teasing strokes and Harry nearly sobbed. He wanted Draco so much he could feel it in every part of his body. It was amazing what one touch from him could invoke in Harry; his heart was pounding in his chest, and he could feel a pressure building in his lower body that no one had ever caused him to feel before. The temperature in the room seemed to rise with the contact of Draco's lips on his; Harry realized it would soon become almost unbearably hot in the room, but found that he didn't mind one bit.  
  
Draco ended his assault on Harry's lips, feathering kisses across his cheek. He nibbled on his ear lobe, moving down to the spot directly below Harry's ear that he'd found drove Harry crazy. Using teeth and tongue, he worked mercilessly on the spot until finally Harry's knees gave out. Draco pulled away, laughing a little. "Come on Harry," he teased, supporting Harry's weight in his arms, "let's move this somewhere more comfortable."  
  
Harry was barely coherent; the teasing touches and kisses were driving him nearly insane. He managed a slight nod, which made Draco smile. Draco backed him up until the back of his knees hit the bed. Before letting Harry sit, he quickly untucked the shirt from the waistband of Harry's trousers, and slid his hands under Harry's shirt. The action elicited a hiss from Harry; Draco's fingers were slightly cool against his heated skin. He obligingly raised his arms and noticed with amazement that Draco's hands were shaking slightly as he pulled the shirt over his head and threw it on the floor, unaware that he could have that effect on anyone, let alone the always composed Draco Malfoy. Harry kicked off his shoes, and drew in a deep breath. When he looked back up, the breath was released in a gasp of surprise; Draco's eyes were dilated with passion, just a thin ring of grey surrounding the black pupils.  
  
Draco carefully lowered Harry to the bed, leaning over him. "Okay?" he asked softly, watching Harry's face carefully, as he lowered himself down on top of him.  
  
"Yes," Harry whispered, reaching up and bringing Draco's lips to his own. Harry bit gently on Draco's lower lip, receiving a pleading moan in response.  _Yes_ , he thought with joy,  _I can do that to him, too_.   
  
Harry moved his hands down Draco's back, palms flat, fingertips teasing his spine. When he reached the waistband of Draco's trousers, he slowly pulled the shirt out, inch by inch, before finally sliding his hands underneath. He glided his hands gently over Draco's back, brushing light, teasing strokes over the skin. Harry slid his hands down and grasped the bottom of Draco's shirt, bringing it up over his head, where it was tossed carelessly to the floor. Draco braced himself on his forearms as Harry traced a finger slowly down his chest. He was watching him through half-lidded eyes, his gaze never leaving Harry's face.  
  
Wanting complete contact, Harry flattened his palms against Draco's chest, fingertips brushing lightly across Draco's nipples. Draco groaned in response, and Harry smiled. He liked making him lose control. Harry wrapped his arms around the other boy's waist, bringing their bodies into direct contact with each other. Harry bit down on his lip to stifle a moan, moving his hips slightly against Draco's. This elicited a strangled sob from Draco, who pushed down with his hips in response.  
  
"Harry," Draco groaned, sliding his hands down Harry's chest, nails scraping lightly. "Oh, God." It suddenly occurred to Harry that Draco wasn't even aware he had spoken, and the feelings of pride this knowledge evoked in him encouraged Harry to continue his exploration.  
  
Harry lifted his head, brushing frenzied kisses down from the hollow of Draco's throat. He paused above Draco's right nipple, letting his breath ghost lightly over it.  
  
"Harry," Draco groaned, pushing his hands into Harry's hair. "Please."  
  
Harry closed the distance, taking a nipple between his teeth, biting softly, and Draco let out a long, low moan in response. He lavished it with attention, alternating between tiny bites and brushing strokes with his tongue. He then turned his attention to the other one.  
  
Draco's fingers tightened in his hair. Harry pulled away, looking deep into the grey eyes in front of him, made luminous in the candlelight. Reaching down, he locked his hands around Draco's waist, rolling them both over. He leaned closer, propping himself on an elbow. "Draco," Harry sighed, reaching up with his other hand and taking hold of one of Draco's wrists. He brought the hand up to his lips, brushing a tender kiss over Draco's palm. He licked a path from the center of the hand to the tip of each finger. Draco responded with a moan, the grey eyes flickering shut. Harry put a final kiss in the center before releasing his hold. Draco's hand hit the bed with a thud.  
  
Draco breathed in deeply before opening his eyes again. He then reached down, locked his hands around Harry's rear, and pushed down hard. This caused their erections to brush against each other, eliciting a strangled moan from both.  
  
"Oh, fuck, Draco," Harry gasped, rolling his hips. "This is nice," he murmured after a moment, receiving a laugh from Draco.  
  
"That is perhaps the biggest understatement of the year," Draco said, voice husky, pushing up at the body above his with his hips.  
  
Tanned fingers went to work on the black trousers, pulling at the belt and throwing it across the room. The button was undone next, followed by the zipper. Harry paused, pushing a hand into the opening. "Oh, Harry," Draco groaned. "Do you know what you're doing to me?"  
  
Harry smiled slightly, moving his other hand down to the waistband of Draco's trousers. "I think I have some idea, yes."  
  
He pulled down on the trousers, raising himself slightly on his knees to tug them free of Draco's body. Draco then turned his attention to Harry's, pulling the button free and undoing the zipper. They were disposed of quickly with a toss across the room. Draco again rolled over, putting Harry beneath him. Draco reached down, grabbing hold of Harry's left foot. He brushed his fingers lightly across the arch of his foot, causing a gasp.  
  
"Why, Mr. Potter," he said, smirking, "are we ticklish?"  
  
Harry kicked in response before giving Draco a mutinous look. "Horribly so, yes."  
  
Draco brushed his fingers once more across the sole of Harry's foot, then proceeded to pull off the sock. He repeated the action with the other foot until all Harry was wearing were his boxers.  
  
Harry was a bit nervous about what would happen next, as he'd never done anything like this with anybody before. He was slightly comforted that Draco had some knowledge of what to do but at the same time was worried about disappointing him if he didn't do something quite right.  
  
"Harry, relax," Draco said, knowing the thoughts that were racing in his head.  
  
Harry drew in a deep breath and released it, then reached up and pulled Draco's face down to his own. He placed a chaste kiss on Draco's lips then let his hands fall to the bed. With the arch of an eyebrow, he gave Draco permission to do what he wanted with him.  
  
Draco waited a second before brushing gentle kisses across Harry's entire body. He started with the crown of Harry's head, feathering kisses into his hair before stopping directly above the scar. He blew slightly, causing Harry to shiver. Harry had never let anyone touch the scar before as it was horribly sensitive to touch. But he wanted Draco to touch it, needed him to. It was a way to forget momentarily about the reason he had it in the first place.  
  
Draco lowered his lips to the scar, tracing the outline with the tip of his tongue. This elicited a groan of desire from Harry, whose green eyes fluttered shut at the contact. Draco paid homage to the mark, trying to make up for all the times he'd insulted Harry or made fun of the scar over the years.  
  
Harry reached up, running his fingers through Draco's hair. It felt like silk, and smelled wonderfully like apples, which had always been a favorite scent of Harry's, and would now forever be synonymous with Draco. Draco moved from Harry's scar, brushing kisses across the bridge of his nose, kissing each of his closed eyelids, before brushing a simple kiss across his lips. The journey continued down his jaw line to his throat, where his tongue dipped into the hollow there. Draco reached down then and entwined their fingers, bringing Harry's right hand up to his lips. He kissed the back of Harry's hand once, before tightening his grip slightly. Harry knew that he was looking at the words carved into his skin, and remembered Draco's reaction when he'd first noticed the scars. Draco held Harry's hand to his cheek and closed his eyes briefly, before placing a kiss on his wrist and releasing his hand.   
  
He trailed his fingers up Harry's arms, over his shoulders, and down Harry's chest, never fully placing his hands on his skin. Instead he brushed his fingertips softly against Harry's chest, causing his breath to catch as the teasing touches traveled lower. Draco gave a small bite and lick to Harry's nipples, which elicited a rather agonizing moan from Harry, before the kisses moved down his navel. Harry groaned low in the back of his throat as Draco dipped his tongue into the indent, hips bucking upwards. The grip on Draco's hair became vice-like, letting Draco know how much his touch was affecting him.  
  
Fingers slid into the waistband of Harry's boxers, pulling them off gently. They were tossed to the side and Draco breathed in deeply.  
  
"Oh, Harry," he said, awestruck. He raised his eyes to Harry's own. "You're beautiful."  
  
Harry blushed. It never ceased to embarrass him when Draco commented on his looks. He shook his head slightly, blushing even more. "No I'm not," he muttered.  
  
Draco firmly took hold of Harry's chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. "Yes, you are," he stated firmly. "And I'm going to prove it to you."  
  
With that, his mouth closed around him and Harry immediately saw stars. Draco used his tongue and teeth to bring Harry to the edge. Just as he thought he was going to fall over, Draco would pull him back, leaving him weak and shaking. The process continued many more times, until Harry finally couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Draco, please," Harry pleaded, desperation clear in his voice, gripping his fingers more firmly into Draco's hair. "Please."  
  
Draco sucked hard once more and with that, Harry exploded, mind shattering into a million pieces, Draco's name spilling from his lips like a prayer.  
  
***  
  
Draco had never had a climax quite that strong before. He'd come without anyone touching him; simply touching Harry and pushing Harry over the edge had done it. After his breathing returned to normal, he bestowed a kiss to Harry's lips. He pulled his boxers off, muttering a cleaning spell for himself and settled down next to Harry's side. He reached an arm across Harry's abdomen, curling the hand around his waist. He pulled Harry tightly against him, brushing slow and tender kisses across Harry's face.  
  
The green eyes finally opened and Harry murmured, "Hello."  
  
Draco smiled, grey eyes sparkling in the candlelight. Harry turned into his embrace, resting his head under Draco's chin. He ran shaking fingers across Draco's chest, a look of contentment on his face.  
  
"Can I stay here with you tonight?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Of course, Harry," Draco replied, just as softly, pulling the other boy closer. "I wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
Harry smiled, then yawned. "I'm tired," he said, eyes drifting shut.  
  
"Me, too," Draco replied, pulling the covers up over them. He reached down and held Harry's hand in his own, twining their fingers together. With a whispered  _Nox_ , the candles went out, leaving the two boys in the darkness.  
  
_(end chapter ten)_


	11. Chapter 11

Harry moved through his classes the next day in a daze. He didn't take a single note in any class, despite the numerous jabs to the ribs from Hermione, and made a complete mess of his potion, which earned him a gleeful deduction of points from Snape and a detention.  
  
Harry took the punishment in stride, simply rolling his eyes. He'd decided a while ago that the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry was ridiculously petty compared to the tasks they would have to complete in order to defeat Voldemort, and wasn't really worth the energy it took to complain about it.  
  
And then there was Draco's upcoming mission to Malfoy Manor. Harry didn't voice his concerns to Draco, though. He had enough to worry about; he still didn't have all the spells learned that he'd need to get through the wards. The final spell,  _Aedifico Foris_ , the one he'd need to open the hole in the wards, was very complex, and was giving Draco a bit of trouble. Draco, being Draco, had said in complete confidence that he'd have the spell learned in plenty of time, and then added a "Don't worry", as if that would ease Harry's concern. Harry hadn't actually told the other boy how panicked he was - he figured Draco could most likely see the truth, as hiding things had never been a strength of his.  
  
Speaking of Draco.  
  
It had been his fault that Harry had messed up his potion during class in the first place. Their assignment had been to brew a Color-Changing potion, which was a N.E.W.T. level potion and "was sure to be on their exams", as Hermione had helpfully added. The potion was extremely sensitive; the ingredients had to be added in five-minute intervals and stirred twice counterclockwise immediately after each addition.  
  
Harry had just been about to add the final ingredient, three dragonfly wings, when Draco, face flushed with heat, had suddenly leaned slightly to the right and blown a stream of air directly across the nape of Harry's neck. This had elicited a hiss from Harry; that one action had aroused him so suddenly that it had nearly taken his breath away. Heat rushed into his already flushed cheeks and his hand had fallen limply into his lap, dragonfly wings floating slowly to the ground.  
  
He'd just gotten a bit of his composure back and was concentrating on slow, regular breathing when suddenly…  
  
_Boom_.  
  
The contents of his cauldron exploded. The green liquid, which should have been blue, Harry realized later, flew all over the table, floor, and Harry himself. Hermione, thinking quickly, pulled her wand out and removed the potion from her startled friend, saying in her best Head Girl voice, "Honestly, Harry, what did you do? You're lucky I was here; if I hadn't removed the potion from you you'd be an interesting shade of orange right now."  
  
Before Harry had even had time to wrap his mind around the thoughts of a blue potion turning him orange, Snape had suddenly appeared in front of him, a smirk on his face, and loudly proclaimed, "Well, Mr. Potter, I'm a bit surprised here. I really wasn't expecting  _you_  to make a mistake. Even Longbottom managed to brew his Color-Changing Potion correctly. How interesting. It appears the Resident Boy Wonder  _can_  mess up." This was accompanied by a chorus of snickers from the Slytherin side of the room. "You now owe me a completed Color- Changing potion and I want it in to me by Friday. You will also serve detention. You will receive an owl with the day and time." And then almost as an afterthought, Snape added in a deceptively casual tone, "Oh, and fifteen points from Gryffindor for being a complete idiot."  
  
Harry had sighed in response, simply shaking his head and muttering a "Yes, sir." Draco, who'd kept his hand over his mouth to hide his smile, pointedly looked at Harry and calmly added his three dragonfly wings, stirred twice counterclockwise, and placed a small sample of the finished potion in the flask sitting next to him. In his perfect handwriting, he printed his name, setting the bottle next to his cauldron.  
  
"You might want to clear the rest of that up, Harry," he said after a moment, deadpan. "It's made quite a mess."  
  
He stood up, walked to the front of the classroom, and with exaggerated care, set his flask on Snape's desk. He received a "Well done, Mr. Malfoy. Ten points to Slytherin," from the Potion's Master, and a pair of eyes rolled skyward from Harry.  
  
Pulling out his wand he muttered the appropriate cleaning spells, clearing the destroyed potion from the tabletop and floor. Draco returned to his seat, waved his wand in a flashy manner, and cleaned up his cauldron and workspace quickly. Once Harry had sat back down, Draco again leaned to his right, which caused Harry to lean slightly to his right and give the other boy a pointed look. Draco gave an exasperated sigh.  
  
"I'm not going to do anything! I just wanted to let you know that I'll help you brew the potion again. Since, you know, it was sort of my fault you got in trouble."  
  
"How very generous of you," Harry responded sarcastically, but softened the words with a small smile. "And you'll not only help me; you'll do the entire assignment."  
  
Draco nodded his assent and the bell rang, signaling the end of class. "Will I see you later?" he asked Harry as he stood up, trying and failing to straighten out the green polo shirt and grey trousers he was wearing.  
  
"Yes. Because we're completing the assignment tonight."  
  
Draco grinned in response and gave a slight nod. "Tonight then." He turned away, and walked out of the room, head held high, and chin lifted just so, looking every bit the pureblooded wizard, arrogance emanating from his very being.  
  
"He's very sure of himself, isn't he?" Hermione asked softly, tucking a tendril of hair behind her ear. She was dressed in a simple red dress, Head Girl badge glistening in the overhead light.  
  
"Yes," Harry said simply with a smile. He reached down and collected his books and followed her out of the classroom.  
  
Once the rest of his classes had finished, Harry slowly headed towards Gryffindor Tower. The heat grew more and more intense as he climbed the stairs, and by the time he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady his shirt was sticking to his back and the hair falling in his eyes was damp with sweat.  
  
"Password?" the Fat Lady asked, then added, "It's terribly hot isn't it? It would be absolutely horrible if I were to melt, don't you agree?" She was fanning herself with a large yellow fan as she spoke.  
  
Harry shoved his hair back and gave a sigh before responding. "Er, yes. It would be extremely terrible. Golden snitch."  
  
The door swung open and he stepped through, glancing briefly around the common room.  
  
Dean was again sitting in the window seat, sketchpad open and resting on his thighs. His eyes were trained on Ginny Weasley, who was currently playing chess with Colin Creevey.  
  
Harry wandered over to where Dean was seated and glanced at the drawing. It was a portrait of Ginny, drawn in pencil. Dean was currently shading in her hair, a look of concentration on his face. He didn't even appear to have noticed Harry's presence.  
  
"Ginny, huh?" Harry asked quietly with an innocent expression on his face.  
  
"Yes," Dean said without looking up, intently making pencil marks on the paper. "She's a fascinating subject. She's so beautiful, I just love drawing her…." He trailed off, looking up at Harry with wide eyes. "Er, that is, I mean…." He trailed off again, embarrassment clear on his face. "Hmm."  
  
"Hmm, indeed," Harry said with a grin. "If you want my opinion, I think she's beautiful as well. Maybe you should tell her you like her," he added thoughtfully after a moment.  
  
"I, well, I," Dean tried, before sighing. "You think so?"  
  
Harry laughed, looking again at the picture. "I think so."  
  
Dean nodded, chewing thoughtfully on the top of his pencil for a moment. Suddenly a sly grin appeared on his face. "So, where were you last night? I didn't see you until classes this morning."  
  
Harry felt himself blush and hoped it wasn't too obvious, fighting to keep his expression calm. "I wasn't here."  
  
Dean raised his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked sarcastically.  
  
Harry allowed a small smile. "I was with someone."  
  
"Someone?" The sketchbook closed with a snap.  
  
"Someone. I was there all night. That's why you didn't see me until this morning."  
  
"Well, do I know this someone?" Dean asked, elbows resting on his knees, voice curious.  
  
"Yes. I'm pretty sure you do."  
  
"But you're not going to tell me who." The statement was said in exasperation.  
  
"No, I'm not." Harry grinned.  
  
"So not fair, Harry! Not fair at all. Okay, I have another question then. Why aren't you and Ron talking?"  
  
Harry sighed, all amusement leaving his voice. "We're not getting along right now."  
  
"Yes, I gathered that. Gosh, you're difficult." Dean patted the space next to him and Harry obligingly sat down.  
  
"He doesn't agree with something I'm involved with right now."  _Or someone_ , he added silently.  
  
"Uh, huh. So you're fighting."  
  
"Something like that, yeah." Harry's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "He thinks I'm being stupid."  
  
"Well, I don't know about that. Maybe he's the one being stupid. He does have the occasional habit of doing that."  
  
Harry sat quietly for a moment, simply staring at Dean. The other boy had returned to his drawing, sketching in Ginny's eyes. "Maybe we're both being stupid," he said softly, watching Dean carefully for a reaction.  
  
"That's also a possibility, of course. But Harry, remember. Ron doesn't really have a right to tell you who you can and cannot go out with. But I think you owe him an explanation about how the relationship happened; you can't expect him to understand when you keep him in the dark." He smirked at Harry's incredulous look; Dean always did have a habit of seeing right through him. The other boy chewed on the end of his pencil again. "He's upstairs, you know. You could go talk to him and try to sort this out. He misses you," he added as an afterthought.  
  
Harry drew in a deep breath and released it. "I miss him, too."  
  
Dean waved a hand towards the stairs. "Yeah, yeah. It's not me you need to tell that to. Go. Talk. Now."  
  
Harry laughed. "Okay. I'll go talk. Now."  
  
He stood up and headed towards the stairs.  
  
"Oh, and Harry?"  
  
Harry turned, eyebrow raised in question.  
  
"Make sure he listens to you. Lock him in the room if you have to. You two need to work this out." He held Harry's gaze for a moment before looking back down at his drawing. "You can go now," he added, dismissing him with a wave of his hand, the serious tone of the conversation broken with a quick wink from Dean. "I need to finish this."  
  
Harry shook his head in amusement. "I'll leave you to it then."  
  
"Hmm," was the other boy's response as his eyes were again trained on Ginny. Harry turned back towards the stairs and slowly walked up them, trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say to Ron.  
  
He reached the door to his room entirely too quickly for his liking. He had no idea what he could say that would make Ron understand, and he wasn't sure how much more abuse he could take from his friend.  
  
Sighing, he shoved a hand through his hair, pushing it irritably off his forehead. His scar had been bothering him again and he hoped it didn't mean that Voldemort was planning something in the near future.  
  
Pushing that thought away, he turned the doorknob and walked slowly into the room. Ron was seated on his bed, back against the headboard, and appeared to be looking through a photo album. Upon closer inspection, Harry realized that it was the photo album that Hermione had given him for Christmas, which contained nothing but pictures of the three of them from first year to Halloween of this year.  
  
Harry drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.  _It's now or never_ , he thought and finally said softly, "Ron."  
  
The photo album closed gently and was set next to the other boy, all without making eye contact, before he responded. "Harry."  
  
Harry sighed. "We need to talk."  
  
Ron looked at him, expressionless. "Talk."  
  
"Yes," Harry began hesitantly. "I … I want to explain a few things to you."  
  
Ron blinked but was otherwise still. As the silence wore on, Harry's discomfort grew exponentially and he began to fidget, first crossing his arms then uncrossing them, clasping them behind his back then dropping them to his sides until Ron finally spoke.  
  
"Sit down, Harry. You're moving around too much."  
  
Harry gave an embarrassed smile, which wasn't returned, and sat gingerly on the end of Ron's bed, keeping as much space between himself and the other boy as possible, unsure of Ron's mood.  
  
"Now talk." Ron's voice was soft but authoritative. Harry gave a small nod.  
  
"Okay. I…." He cleared his throat. "I know you're upset with me."  
  
Ron gave a snort but didn't say anything.  
  
"And that was probably a big understatement." Ron rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't know what you want me to say. You're mad at me because I'm involved with Draco, but that's really only because you don't like him. But I  _do_  like him. I don't know why you're having such a problem with this. It's not like  _you_  have to spend any time with him."  
  
Ron was quiet for a moment. "Hermione said almost the exact same thing."  
  
"Yes, well, she generally knows what she's talking about. And she's been supportive from the very beginning."  
  
"Hmm," Ron said noncommittally. He was quiet for another moment. "Why Malfoy?" he finally asked. "Why not, well … why not Ginny?"  
  
Harry blinked. "Ginny?" he asked, amusement lacing his voice.  
  
Ron nodded.  
  
"In case you hadn't noticed," Harry carefully pointed out, "Ginny is a girl."  
  
"I know," Ron said a bit desperately.  
  
"Well, Draco's not a girl. And, well, I just like  _him_  more. A lot more."  
  
Ron slumped against the headboard. "Him. So, you're gay then?"  
  
Harry sighed. Ron was just being dense. "Yes," he said tiredly. "I suppose that is what I am."  
  
"But how? I thought you liked girls! What about Cho?"  
  
Harry pictured her in his mind. True, Cho was pretty with her dark hair and eyes, and her great athletic ability, but he'd never felt the breathtaking passion for her that he felt simply by being near Draco, even when they managed to kiss without her crying all over him.  
  
"She's very beautiful," he admitted. "But I never felt for her what I feel for Draco. I always admired her flying and the way she carried herself, but I never really  _wanted_  her."  
  
Ron paled slightly. "You …  _want_  Malfoy?" His voice cracked on the last word.  
  
"Well," Harry responded slowly, "yes."  
  
"Oh," was Ron's only response. He rubbed his hands over his face and drew in a breath.  
  
"Oh," Harry repeated, shifting slightly on the bed.  
  
Ron dropped his hands. "So," he said, "how did this happen exactly?"  
  
Harry leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, unable to keep a smile off his face. "He kissed me."  
  
"Just out of the blue?" Ron asked, curiosity and a little bit of outright shock clear in his voice.  
  
"Well, sort of." Harry thought back. "We'd sort of been … well, flirting."  
  
" _Flirting_?" Ron choked on the word.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, Ron. We talked, started spending time together, and then after Astronomy last week he kissed me."  
  
"Astronomy," Ron said weakly. He seemed to only be able to parrot words Harry had already said. "How did I not notice all this?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. We weren't being obvious about it, I don't think. Although Hermione figured it out," he added.  
  
"Of course she did," Ron said dryly. "Why didn't you tell me right away?"  
  
"I was scared of your reaction," Harry admitted. "And with good reason," he said bitterly. "By the way, you owe Draco an apology."  
  
Ron had the grace to look ashamed. "Harry…" he began.  
  
Harry shook his head. "Did you not realize how much your words would hurt me? You accused me of being stupid, of being under a spell, of being disgusting for liking another boy. Or maybe you wanted to hurt me. Is that it?"  
  
"Harry," Ron tried again, "I…."  
  
"And then yesterday after Transfiguration," Harry continued like he hadn't heard him, "you told me you never wanted to talk to me again, that looking at me made you sick. That there was something wrong with me and you didn't want to be around me. God, Ron, you were my first friend, my best friend. After all that stuff you said about my being able to tell you anything, you went and acted in the totally opposite way."  
  
Ron looked crushed. "Harry … I'm sorry."  
  
Harry's breath hitched but he resolutely pushed down the tears that were building behind his eyes. He absolutely would not cry. He thumped his hand down on the bed to get rid of a bit of his frustration, then said, "You should be."  
  
"I didn't really mean those things, I was just angry. You'd kept this huge secret from me and I thought maybe you just didn't consider me a good enough friend."  
  
Harry closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry. I was stupid."  
  
Harry snorted.  
  
"Okay, really stupid," Ron amended.  
  
Harry opened his eyes. "Yes you were. And because you weren't talking to me, I couldn't tell you about what's going on with Draco and what he's going to risk for all of us. I've been having to keep it all secret, only telling Hermione. I needed you, Ron; I still do need you. There's so much going on, and you just weren't interested because you were too wrapped up in your own hatred of Draco. He's putting himself in so much danger, and it's all for me and everyone else at this school." Ron was looking at him with interest now. "He's going into Malfoy Manor to retrieve a spell book that will end this stupid heat spell and get everything back to normal. But it's dangerous; he can't just walk right in, Lucius would probably kill him on the spot, so he's got to learn all these spells and get through the wards and into the Manor and retrieve the book and get back to Hogwarts. And do it all without anyone detecting him. Something could happen to him and then I'd never see him again." The last sentence was said in a whisper. "I don't know what I'd do without him," he added, even quieter.  
  
"You really care about him, don't you?" Ron asked in realization.  
  
"More than anything," Harry replied. "I want your friendship back, Ron, but I won't listen to you say all those horrible things about Draco. He's too important to me. And I won't stand by and let you say anything else about me, either. You need to decide what's more important; your dislike of Draco or our friendship."  
  
"Harry, our friendship means a lot to me. I'm sorry I ever put that in jeopardy. Of course I still want to be your friend. And I'll even apologize to Malfoy for hitting him. I'll try to get used to the two of you being together, but it's going to take some time; I've hated him for so long. But I'll do it - for you. You're my best friend." Ron reached out a hand in the other boy's direction in appeal.  
  
Harry nodded. "I'm working with Draco tonight on that stupid Color-Changing potion that Snape's making me redo. You can apologize to him then." His tone of voice left no room for argument. "It'll probably be around eight o'clock, in the Charms classroom."  
  
"I'll be there," Ron replied.  
  
Harry nodded and stood up. "I need to go. Draco's working with Sirius tonight to try to learn the final spell he'll need, and I'm already late. See you later."  
  
"Later," Ron replied, reaching again for the photo album.  
  
Harry left, feeling much better than he had in several days.  
  
***  
  
Draco sighed.  
  
_This is not going as planned_ , he thought with a frown.  
  
"Don't worry, Draco," Sirius said, "you'll get it." Draco could tell that Sirius wasn't quite as certain about it as he wanted him to believe.  
  
"This is ridiculous," Draco said, sitting down on Flitwick's desk and crossing his legs in front of him irritably. "Why am I having so much trouble with this?" He slammed his wand down next to him in frustration.  
  
"Draco," his mother said disapprovingly, obviously not liking the way he was behaving. She frowned slightly at him from her spot near the door, where she was watering the plants with her wand.  
  
Draco slumped. "Sorry," he muttered. Next to him sat Harry, who'd watched his outburst with quite a lot of amusement and a hand covering the grin that had spread over his face.  
  
"Now, Draco," he said in a tone of voice reserved for small children, "was that really necessary? I mean,  _honestly_." The last was said in a perfect imitation of Hermione's Head Girl voice.  
  
Draco felt himself relax under the easy grin, reassured that he would learn to do this spell simply because Harry was certain he would.  
  
"Just remember," Harry added, pulling out his wand and giving it an overly dramatic shake, "swish and flick."  
  
At Draco's mutinous expression, Harry burst into laughter.  
  
"Ha, bloody ha," Draco said sarcastically.  
  
Sirius cleared his throat, sufficiently drawing Draco's attention. "Shall we try again?" he implored with an arch of his eyebrow.  
  
"Of course," Draco said, standing fluidly. "I'm sure I'll get it this time."  
  
Sirius nodded. "All right, then. Try to cast it again."  
  
Draco gave a brief nod before turning his attention to the task at hand. Dumbledore had recreated all the wards he would have to get through to get into the Manor. He'd set up a piece of iron fencing in the Charms classroom that was an exact replica of the fencing around Malfoy Manor, and it was this fencing that Draco was trying to create the opening in.  
  
" _Aedifico Foris_ ," he said clearly with a flick of his wand. A small hole appeared briefly but disappeared after a few seconds.  
  
"Good, Draco!" Sirius exclaimed. "You almost had it that time!"  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. He'd "almost had it" several times before; he wasn't sure what exactly he was doing wrong and why he couldn't get the opening to stay in the fencing.  
  
Giving his wand another flick, he said again, " _Aedifico Foris_."  
  
Again the hole appeared but went away.  
  
Draco took a deep breath and released it slowly.  _I will do this_ , he repeated silently to himself, the words becoming a mantra, repeating over and over in his head.  
  
He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look directly into a pair of green eyes. "Relax, Draco," Harry said softly with a small smile, turning Draco back around so his back was to him. "You can do it." Harry reached out with his hand, closing it carefully over Draco's own. " _Aedifico Foris_ ," Harry whispered, letting the words roll off his tongue.  
  
" _Aedifico Foris_ ," Draco whispered back, flicking his wand just so, eyes flickering shut.  
  
"Oh," Sirius suddenly said, causing Draco's eyes to pop open again. There, in the fencing, was a hole just big enough for Draco to get through in his Animagus form. "Well done, boys!"  
  
Draco turned wide eyes upon his companion, who was regarding him silently. "Did you do that?" he quietly asked.  
  
Harry shook his head. "No, you did. I didn't do anything."  
  
Draco tilted his head, not really believing him. "Are you sure?"  
  
"End the spell and do it again if you don't believe me," Harry said calmly.  
  
" _Finite Incantatum_ ," Draco said, and the hole disappeared. Concentrating fully on the spell he said again, clearly, " _Aedifico Foris_."  
  
The hole appeared again, and this time, to Draco's amazement, remained in the fencing. "I actually did it," he said in awe.  
  
"Of course you did," Sirius said, glancing briefly at his godson, who blatantly ignored him.  
  
"Harry," Draco said, happiness apparent in his voice. "I did it!"  
  
A full grin spread over Harry's face. "I know. I told you that you could."  
  
"You're sure you didn't do anything?" Draco asked skeptically.  
  
Harry shrugged.  
  
"You did do something then." It wasn't a question.  
  
"I might have helped you out, a little. But that last time you did it all on your own."  
  
"What did you do?" Draco asked, curious more than anything.  
  
Harry blushed, adding more heat to his cheeks. "I, er, added a bit of my magic to yours, that's all. To make the spell stronger." He looked down at his feet. "But I didn't do anything the second time, I swear," he added, a bit defensively.  
  
Draco regarded him in awe. Harry never ceased to surprise. It didn't actually bother him that Harry had helped him out with the spell; he was grateful, because it had made him able to cast it. As he watched the other boy he could see the power shimmering off of him, the innate magic that made Harry so unique. Harry was regarding him in a mixture of curiosity and a bit of nervousness, unsure of Draco's reaction. That made him smile, which in turn helped Harry relax.  
  
"Thank you," Draco said softly so no one else could hear. Sirius had turned to Narcissa and was talking to her about the progress he'd made and that she shouldn't worry too much because it was obvious that Draco could cast the spells without any problems.  
  
Harry blinked and then offered him a shy smile. "You're welcome." Draco reached out and ran his thumb lightly across Harry's cheek, then dropped his hand, saying to Sirius, "I think I'll try it once more, and then are we done?"  
  
"Yes, we're done. Go ahead and do it once more."  
  
Draco ended the spell and said again, with a flick of his wand, " _Aedifico Foris_." Like the last time, the hole that appeared remained in the fencing.  
  
"Very good, Draco," Sirius said again. "I'll head up to Dumbledore immediately and let him know you've learned all the spells. He'll most likely want to see them before you leave for the Manor on Friday."  
  
Draco nodded, placing his wand in his pocket.  
  
"Sirius," Harry spoke up, "would it be all right if Draco and I use this classroom for a little while longer? I need to redo my Color-Changing potion for Snape."  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Snape," the name was practically spat out. "Of course, Harry," he finally answered the question. "Just make sure you clean up afterwards."  
  
"We will," Harry said, already Summoning his cauldron as Draco pulled out the ingredients they'd need. "We'll see you later."  
  
"Yes, have a good evening," Sirius said, holding out his elbow for Narcissa to take. They disappeared out the door.  
  
The two boys set everything up and added the first ingredient, waiting the necessary five minutes before adding the second, stirred twice counterclockwise, and repeated the actions until everything was done. Draco poured a small amount into the waiting flask and capped it, handing it to Harry so he could print his name on it.  
  
"There," Draco said. "Perfect."  
  
"No, I'm sure Snape will find something wrong with it," Harry said dryly. "He always does."  
  
Draco shook his head, but looked up as the door to the classroom opened to reveal Weasley, who looked like he was fighting the urge to bolt.  
  
"Weasley," Draco said carefully, as the last time he'd talked to Ron he'd been punched twice in the face.  
  
"Malfoy," he said, a hint of dislike carefully covered up in his voice. "I … need to speak to you."  
  
Draco looked briefly at Harry, who hadn't looked up and acknowledged the other boy's presence, but was carefully putting away all the ingredients they'd used in the potion. He was purposely wiping and re-wiping the containers, double-checking the lids on them before he'd put them in his bag.  
  
"All right," Draco said slowly, again focusing his attention on Weasley. "Talk."  
  
Ron cleared his throat, looking down at his feet. The taller boy was wearing a red shirt similar to the one Harry had on, but a pair of jeans, as opposed to Harry's khaki shorts. He was picking at the hem of his shirt nervously, obviously unsure of what to say.  
  
"I'm sorry for hitting you," he said suddenly, startling Draco a bit.  
  
"You're sorry," Draco repeated, then arched his eyebrow. "Are you really?"  
  
Next to him, Harry gave a slight laugh.  
  
"Yes," Ron said. "I am. Harry and I talked today. I apologized to him for the things I said and told him that I'd try to get along with you, or at least be civil. But that's got to go both ways, Malfoy," he added, as in warning. "If I'm civil to you, you have to be civil to me."  
  
Draco sighed tiredly, running a hand through his hair. "Weasley, if I remember correctly, I haven't been anything but civil to you this entire year."  
  
Ron flushed slightly in embarrassment. "I … I suppose that's true."  
  
Draco smirked. "I accept your apology," he said haughtily.  
  
Harry looked up then, a small smile on his face. "Thank you," he mouthed.  
  
Draco shrugged.  
  
"You accept my apology…." Ron trailed off, a look of confusion on his face. This apparently hadn't been what he'd been expecting.  
  
"Yes," Draco said. "Truce?" he asked, holding his hand out in front of him.  
  
"Truce," Ron repeated weakly, shaking his hand, albeit a little stiffly. "But keep in mind that I'm really only doing this for Harry," he added stubbornly, his composure returning a bit.  
  
"Of course," Draco said. He winked at Harry, who grinned. He reached down and picked up Harry's bag and held it open so Harry could put the rest of his ingredients in it. "Are we done?" he asked Harry with a tilt of his head.  
  
"Yes," Harry said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "I just need to take the potion to Snape and put my cauldron back, then we can do whatever we want." He carefully picked the potion up from the table. "See you later?" he asked Ron, who was regarding the two of them in interest.  
  
"Yes," Ron said. "Later."  
  
Harry nodded. Walking past Ron, he suddenly turned to face him. Draco stepped slightly to the side and headed towards the doorway, not wanting to intrude on whatever Harry was going to say.  
  
"Thank you, Ron," he said softly. "This meant a lot to me."  
  
Ron smiled slightly. "You're welcome, Harry." He reached out and squeezed his shoulder slightly. "See you later."  
  
Harry nodded again, a smile on his face. Turning towards the door, he asked, "Ready?"  
  
Draco smirked. "Always."  
  
They walked out of the Charms classroom side-by-side. Draco glanced back over his shoulder before he left the room and saw Ron standing with a bewildered, if satisfied look on his face, shaking his head slightly. It appeared that things were finally back to normal.  
  
_(end chapter eleven)_


	12. Chapter 12

The alarm clock went off and Harry sat up suddenly, arms flailing in surprise.   
  
It was Friday.   
  
Groaning, Harry fell back against his pillow trying to wrap his brain around the idea that it was apparently time to get up, alarm still blaring loudly.   
  
"Harry," Ron said sleepily, yawning wildly. "Turn that off."   
  
Reaching out a hand, he turned off the simple Muggle alarm he'd always favored over the Wizarding kind, which required use of his wand and the remembering a spell first thing in the morning, when Harry was definitely not at his best. He could hear his other roommates moving around, signaling again that it was indeed time to get up. Harry rubbed his eyes blearily; he was so tired.   
  
The sun was streaming in through the window next to his bed, and Harry shut his eyes against the glare, groaning again as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He reached one hand out for his glasses, sliding them on, and used his other hand to shove himself off the bed. Stumbling over the blankets that had been immediately tossed to the floor the previous night, he slammed his shoulder roughly into the wardrobe.   
  
"Ouch," he mumbled, rubbing at his sore shoulder. He opened his wardrobe and blindly reached in, pulling out a set of clothes and double-checking to make sure he had one of everything he needed. Harry stared at himself in the mirror hanging on the door. He looked exhausted. Sighing to himself, he shut the wardrobe doors, heading out of the room and up the stairs towards the showers.   
  
Today was Friday. Tonight, Draco would head to Malfoy Manor to try and retrieve the book that would hopefully end this heat spell. Tonight, Draco would be putting himself in enormous danger. After today, Harry may never see Draco again.  
  
But Harry didn't want to think about that.   
  
As soon as he opened the doors to the shower room, the heat assaulted him, stealing his breath. It was terribly hot in the room, especially with the unavoidable steam from the showers. Sighing, Harry stripped his boxers off, setting his glasses carefully on his pile of clean clothes.   
  
Unable to help the direction of his thoughts, they again traveled to Draco's upcoming mission, and the knot of worry in Harry's stomach grew.   
  
_What if someone sees him trying to get through the wards?_    
  
Impossible. No one ever ventured near enough to the Manor. Their fear of Lucius made sure of that. Of course, Lucius could always have someone standing guard over the Manor…. Harry shook his head to clear that thought away.   
  
_What if he can't get through the wards?_    
  
Of course he would be able to. He could cast all of the spells he needed without any trouble. Dumbledore wouldn't send him if he weren't ready.   
  
_What if Lucius catches him?_    
  
NO.   
  
Harry roughly turned the faucet, yelping slightly at the freezing cold water that ran down on him. He was not going to think about anything going wrong; his sanity couldn't handle it.   
  
Finishing up in the shower, he turned the water off, and reached for his towel, drying off quickly. He tied the towel around his waist and stepped out of the stall, placing his glasses carefully on the bridge of his nose after defogging them with a quickly muttered charm.   
  
Dressing hurriedly, Harry then headed over to the sink to brush his teeth and try to do something with his hair. Unfortunately, the mirror took that moment to speak.   
  
"Are you all right, dear?" it asked kindly. "You look worried about something."   
  
_Great_ , Harry thought with a scowl. Even inanimate objects could see he was worried.   
  
"I'm fine," he said through gritted teeth, clearly letting the mirror know its opinion was not appreciated.   
  
"Of course you are, dear," it replied smoothly. Harry began to attempt to brush his hair, then gave up before actually starting, knowing without trying that the action would be in vain.   
  
He headed out of the shower room, taking a deep breath of the less hot air in the hallway, then headed towards his dormitory to pick up his books. Glancing at the clock he realized he was running late, so he hurried down the stairs and into the common room, nearly running down a first year in his haste.   
  
"Sorry," he said, reaching out a hand to steady her. "I didn't see you."   
  
"That's okay," she said a bit breathlessly, no doubt in awe over the fact that she'd just been touched by  _the_  Harry Potter.   
  
Muttering a curse word, Harry released her and climbed through the portrait hole, nearly tumbling out of the entrance in his hurry to leave the Tower.   
  
_Get a hold of yourself, Harry_ , he chastised silently.  _It won't do any good for people to see you upset._    
  
Stepping down upon the last flight of stairs, his feet slipped out from under him, causing him to nearly tumble down the remaining steps. Looking up at the offending stair crossly, he saw a quill on the step that had obviously been dropped. It was becoming apparent that today was  _not_  going to be his day.   
  
Pushing open the door to the Great Hall, he headed directly towards the Gryffindor table, ignoring the looks that seemed to follow him everywhere. Muttering about stupid people dropping quills on the stairs and attempting to kill him, Harry sat next to Hermione, who glanced up from her book.   
  
"Bad morning?" she asked, trying to hide her smile.   
  
"Very funny," he muttered, reaching for the bowl of eggs and putting a small amount on his plate. He didn't actually think he could eat anything, afraid that even the smallest amount of food would make him ill. So instead, he picked up his fork and proceeded to push them around his plate.   
  
"Okay, Harry?" Hermione asked again, this time looking at him in concern.  
  
"No, not really," Harry said, knowing that he wouldn't need to say anything else.   
  
She nodded then turned back to her book. Harry stared mutinously at his eggs for another moment before deciding that he needed to get out of the Great Hall before he really did throw up. Standing suddenly, he gathered his books.   
  
"I'll see you later, Hermione," Harry said, spinning around and knocking directly into the person standing behind him.   
  
"Goodness, Harry, there was no need to get up on my account," a voice said, laughing slightly.   
  
_Draco._    
  
For a second, Harry was almost consumed with the desire to just wrap his arms around Draco and never let go. It must have shown on his face, because Draco didn't say anything else. Under that piercing grey gaze, Harry felt the rest of the Great Hall disappear, and wouldn't have been surprised to learn that they were the only two people on the planet.   
  
Seeming to find the answer to a question that he'd yet to ask, Draco said, "Right, then, let's go for a walk."   
  
"I've got class," Harry protested weakly, allowing Draco to grab him by the elbow and propel him out of the Great Hall, much to the interest of everyone else in the room.   
  
"As do I," Draco replied, not yet relinquishing him. "And we'll go. But not quite yet."  
  
He pushed open one of the outside doors and lead Harry down the steps. "Shall we walk along the lake?"   
  
Harry blinked against the sudden brightness of the sun. He couldn't believe how warm it was already. "Uh … sure."   
  
Draco stopped walking, turning to look at him. Harry stared back, unsure of what else to do. Draco then slid his hand from its place on Harry's elbow, down until he was grasping his hand, thumb rubbing briefly across the back. Harry nearly sighed at the contact, then realized he was standing in the middle of the Hogwarts front lawn, holding hands with Draco Malfoy, and quickly dropped his hand.   
  
Draco smiled at him, glancing around, eyes landing on the group of Hufflepuffs that were making their way to the Greenhouses. "Didn't you want to give them something to talk about?" he asked with a devilish grin.   
  
"No, not really," Harry said. "I think I give them enough to talk about as it is."   
  
Draco nodded, again taking him by the elbow, and leading him towards the lake. Once along the edge, Harry sank down upon a tree stump, unsure if his legs would carry him any further. He was so  _tired_.   
  
"You're worried," Draco said mildly, as if he were commenting on the weather.   
  
"And you aren't?" Harry snapped, then sighed. "Sorry," he muttered.   
  
Draco shook his head, acknowledging the apology. "Of course I'm worried."   
  
"Well you sure aren't acting like it," Harry said petulantly.   
  
"I can't let anyone see I'm worried," Draco explained, dropping down on his knees in front of the Harry to bring them to eye level. "I don't want anyone asking any questions."   
  
Harry closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. "I know," he said after releasing it. "I'm sorry. I'm just … scared." He felt Draco bring his hands up to gently cup his face. "I'm scared that I may never see you again," he admitted in a whisper.   
  
"Oh, Harry," Draco said, voice full of an emotion Harry couldn't quite name. "I'll be okay. I promise. I'll come back."   
  
"You promise?" Harry demanded, wanting to hear Draco say it again. He opened his eyes, looking directly into Draco's own.   
  
"I promise," Draco said, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Harry's. "And a Malfoy never breaks a promise."   
  
"Malfoy Rules to Live By?" Harry asked with a small smile, reaching up to rest his hand on the curve of Draco's shoulder.   
  
"Something like that," Draco replied softly, tilting his head to give Harry a kiss. "Come on," he said after breaking the kiss, standing up and brushing the dirt off the knees of his trousers. "We don't want to be late for class."   
  
"We don't?" Harry whined slightly, but stood anyway, reaching back down to retrieve his books.   
  
Draco grinned, shrugging. "Well, maybe we do, but it wouldn't be a good idea." He bent down and picked up his book bag, slinging it over one shoulder.   
  
Harry stared out over the lake for a moment. All he really wanted was to go back to bed; the heat was zapping his energy, and he felt sluggish. Draco stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the water, and pulled Harry close to him, wrapping his arms securely around him.  
  
Harry closed his eyes and settled his head on the other boy's shoulder, sighing in contentment. Draco held him for a long while, rubbing between his shoulder blades with one hand gently, in a soothing motion. Harry finally pulled away slightly, knowing that he needed to get to class before anyone realized they were missing. Draco leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Harry's lips, then stepped back.   
  
"Ready?" he asked, eyebrow arched slightly.   
  
"I suppose," Harry relented, turning to walk back towards the school. They walked side by side, neither saying anything, absorbed in their thoughts.   
  
Upon crossing the threshold, Harry was startled from his reverie by an owl, who was hooting indignantly and holding an envelope with his name on it.   
  
"Er, thanks," Harry said awkwardly, reaching out to take the letter. The owl was obviously put out about having to wait so long for him, and cuffed him on the head with one of its wings as it took off outside. Rubbing his head absently, he turned the envelope over, seeing the Hogwarts crest on the back.   
  
"Were you expecting something?" Draco asked, tilting his head to get a better look at the envelope.   
  
"Hmm," Harry responded. He broke the seal on the back and pulled out a letter, opening it carefully. "It's from Snape," he said mournfully. "It must be about my detention."   
  
"Well, read it," Draco said, amused.   
  
Harry sighed. The letter read:   
  
_Mr. Potter,  
  
You will be serving your detention this evening at eight o'clock sharp in the Potions classroom. Ten points will be deducted for every minute you are late.   
  
Sincerely,  
Professor S. Snape  
Potions Master  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_    
  
"Oh, he's got wonderful timing," Harry snapped, viciously shoving the letter back into the envelope.   
  
Draco didn't say anything, merely regarding Harry with an arch of his eyebrow.   
  
Harry scowled at him, pushing the envelope inside his copy of  _Unfogging the Future_. "I guess I'll see you in Potions," he said, once he was a bit more composed.   
  
"Yes, I suppose you will." Draco grinned at Harry's expression. "We'll be partners, okay?"   
  
"Of course," Harry replied, starting to walk towards the main staircase.   
  
"See you then," Draco said, hitching his bag up higher on his shoulder and turning on one heel, walking to class as if he owned the place.   
  
Harry watched him until he couldn't see him anymore, then decided he'd best head to class himself, as he was already late. He hurriedly climbed the stairs, finally coming to the ladder that would allow him entrance into the Divination room. Harry pushed open the trapdoor, nearly choking on the heavily perfumed air, the heat momentarily making him dizzy.   
  
"Mr. Potter!" Trelawny suddenly exclaimed upon his appearance. "Oh, I'm so glad you're all right! I've had a horrible vision about you! You are in grave danger!" Her voice quavered to give her the maximum effect, eyes blinking myopically behind her glasses.   
  
"Of course I am," Harry muttered, causing Seamus and Dean to laugh and Lavender and Parvati to sniff as if he'd insulted them. He settled next to Ron, who leaned over to whisper to him.   
  
"Where were you? I asked Hermione, but she wouldn't tell me."  
  
"I was with Draco," Harry whispered back, carefully watching his reaction.   
  
"Oh. Oh, of course. He, well, he's, you know, tonight."   
  
_Eloquent as always_ , Harry thought with a grin, but instead said, "Yes, tonight."   
  
"I hope everything goes okay," Ron said quietly.   
  
"So do I, Ron," Harry replied, closing his eyes. "So do I."   
  
***   
  
For Draco, classes had never passed so slowly. Even his most favorite subjects failed to hold his interest. He'd found himself drifting off during Ancient Runes, content to simply count the stones in the ceiling overhead rather than take notes. In Arithmancy, Professor Vector had assigned several equations for homework but had given them time to work on them in class. Draco had been surprised upon glancing down at his parchment that instead of the calculations, he'd written Harry's name, over and over.   
  
And Potions wasn't any better.   
  
Snape had begun class with a warning that the students had better not be taking the Cooling Potion on a regular basis, as repeated use would begin to cause harm. Apparently a few people had been indulging themselves and had wound up in the Infirmary. Draco had rolled his eyes at this; Snape had said when he'd assigned the potion in the first place that it wasn't to be taken just because you were feeling uncomfortably hot.   
  
After his brief discussion about how stupid people, mainly from houses above the level of the dungeons apparently were, Snape had turned to the blackboard, and began to lecture about another potion, which would be brewed the next week, although in his daze Draco had missed the name. He didn't take a single note, figuring that he could easily borrow them from Pansy.   
  
He'd turned his attention instead to the black-haired boy next to him. After all, he mused, it was much more pleasant to do a study of Harry rather than what you got when you combined eye of newt and lavender oil and stirred fifty-two times counterclockwise.   
  
He'd sat himself on the inside of their table, angling his body towards the front of the room, which had also given him a perfect view of Harry. He was again wearing a red polo shirt, with only the bottom two buttons fastened. His black hair was slightly damp with sweat and tumbling wildly around his face, ends curling slightly around his ears in what Draco considered a very fetching manner. His glasses kept sliding down his nose, to be pushed back up irritably, only to slide down again.   
  
Harry looked to be taking notes, although that wasn't what he was doing at all. His parchment was covered in crude sketches of what appeared to be Quidditch strategies, although there was a very detailed drawing of a snitch in one corner. Draco grinned; it was obvious what subject Harry considered more important.   
  
After his classes were complete, Draco met briefly with his Slytherin Quidditch teammates, just to see if anyone had anything important to say. Determining that it was once again too hot to practice, Draco concluded the meeting with a pointed, "When we do resume practice I expect you all to be at the top of your forms," conveniently not mentioning exactly how he planned on doing this himself.   
  
He'd then left the rest of his teammates and gone outside, heading immediately for the shade along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He sat down under the same tree he and Harry had sat under the first time they'd actually spent time together and thought about his journey to Malfoy Manor that was to take place in, and here he glanced at his watch, precisely four hours and twenty two minutes.   
  
The plan of action for this evening was simple. He and Sirius would Apparate from just outside the Hogwarts' gates at exactly seven o'clock. Their Apparation destination was about a half a mile outside the grounds; any closer and they would run the risk of setting off the anti-Apparation wards on the Manor. They would then walk the rest of the way, with Sirius only accompanying Draco half of the way. Draco would finish the rest of the trek by himself. He would then cast his spells to get through the fencing around the Manor, sneak into the house itself, and retrieve  _Caligo Devotio_  from its place in the library. He would then sneak back out of the house, across the grounds, back through the fencing, where he would end his spells, meet back up with Sirius, and the two of them would Apparate back to Hogwarts. The total "mission" was only supposed to take about two hours to complete.   
  
Of course, that was the idea in theory. Draco knew better than to expect anything involving his former home to go off exactly as planned. He honestly didn't know what dangers would be waiting for him once he was inside the grounds, and actually preferred not to think about it.   
  
He sat outside for a long time, wanting to avoid any of his housemates who no doubt were wondering why he was acting so strangely. Finally it was time for dinner, and he wandered back inside slowly, not really wanting to eat anything but knowing that it would be expected that he be there. He entered the Great Hall and weaved his way over to the Slytherin table, taking his usual spot next to Pansy.   
  
"Where were you?" she asked, a hint of accusation in her voice.   
  
"Outside," he responded vaguely, reaching for the bowl of fruit salad.  
  
She gave him a piercing look before picking up the pitcher of pumpkin juice. "Would you like some juice?" she asked with false sweetness.   
  
At his nod, she filled up his glass, setting the pitcher down with a thump and leaning over to whisper directly into his ear. "I know something's going on, Draco. I'm not as stupid as you'd like me to be."   
  
He sighed, before turning his head to stare at her. "It's none of your concern, Pansy." His tone said for her to drop the subject, but he knew immediately that she'd never do so.   
  
"Nice try, Draco," she said, picking up her fork and stabbing viciously at a piece of lettuce on her plate. "I want to know what's going on; you can't leave me in the dark like this."   
  
Draco didn't respond, simply picking up his glass and taking a drink, implying that he could, of course, do just that.   
  
"I know it has something to do with Potter," she said slyly, her eyes finding Harry across the room.   
  
This caused Draco to choke on his pumpkin juice. "Potter?" he questioned, setting his glass down immediately.   
  
"Yes." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I know there's something going on with you two."   
  
"You do?" he asked, then shut his mouth hastily, not believing that he'd just said that.   
  
She gave a predatory smile, which had Draco leaning away from her slightly. "Well, I sure do now." She smirked at his expression. "Honestly, Draco, did you expect me not to notice? You were staring at him through our entire Potions class today."   
  
Draco pushed his plate forward, resting his elbows on the table and rubbing his eyes. Of course she'd notice something like that. He couldn't believe he had been so obvious.  
  
Suddenly he felt her hand squeeze his shoulder gently. "I don't think anyone else noticed," she said softly, wanting to reassure him. "I was just paying extra close attention to you. You've been avoiding me and I wanted to know what you were up to."   
  
He sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "I'm sorry I was avoiding you. It's just that I've got a lot going on right now that no one's supposed to know about, and you would be able to see that immediately. I can't seem to hide anything from you."   
  
"Well, we've only known each other since birth," Pansy said dryly. "And I've known for a long time now that you've had feelings for  _him_." She jerked her chin towards Harry.   
  
Draco turned his head so he could look at Harry; the other boy was currently sitting between Hermione and Ron, methodically picking apart a dinner roll. He looked so tired; the circles under his eyes were visible even from across the room.   
  
"You care about him," Pansy said, tilting her head slightly. "Although I really don't get what you see in him."   
  
Draco smiled softly. "He's everything, Pansy," he admitted. She turned to look at him, surprise written across her face. "And he's not bad to look at either," he added with a smirk.   
  
"All right, I'll give you that," Pansy replied with a snigger. Then she sobered. "Does he feel that way about you?"   
  
Draco shrugged, not wanting to get into this with her at the moment. "I don't know. It's not exactly something we've discussed."   
  
She frowned at him but he held up a hand to stop her from asking any more questions. "Let's not talk about this right now. I need to get going."   
  
He stood up, taking one more drink of his juice, then stepped over the bench.   
  
"Be careful, Draco," Pansy whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear.   
  
He nodded and gave her a quick smile, then turned and headed out of the Hall. He hadn't gone very far when another set of footsteps joined his.   
  
"You were supposed to wait five minutes," Draco chastised, but turned to face his companion with a grin anyway.   
  
"Yeah, well, I didn't feel like it," Harry said with a shrug. They walked down the corridor quietly, stopping outside the Charms classroom.   
  
Draco reached for the knob, but was stopped by Harry's hand on his. "Be careful tonight. Please." Harry didn't meet his eyes and Draco saw a faint blush climbing up his cheeks.   
  
"I will," Draco said, letting go of the doorknob and pulling Harry into his arms. He leaned forward and captured Harry's lips with his own. Harry's mouth opened immediately under his; their tongues met, gliding together in perfect sync. Draco broke the kiss, drawing in a deep breath, then released him completely. He ran his hands down his shirt to try to smooth out the wrinkles and let Harry have a moment to get his composure back. Then he opened the door and the two of them walked in; Draco saw that Dumbledore, Sirius, and his mother were already inside, and the Headmaster's eyes seemed to be twinkling a bit more than usual. Draco got the feeling that the old wizard knew exactly what he and Harry had been doing on the other side of the door.   
  
"Are we all set?" Sirius asked, and Draco nodded in assurance.   
  
"Of course," he said, a bit of the Malfoy arrogance added to the words.   
  
Sirius nodded. "Shall we go over the plan?" Draco nodded again then listened as the older man listed step by step what Draco was to do. Harry, he saw, was also listening intently. Once Sirius was done explaining, Dumbledore turned his attention to Harry.   
  
"I understand you are serving detention tonight with our Potions professor." His eyes twinkled merrily behind his half-moon frames.   
  
"Yes," Harry said sullenly. "And I didn't even do anything wrong." Draco could tell that Harry had resisted the urge to stare pointedly at him.   
  
"Ah, well, everything has its reasons, Harry," Dumbledore said kindly.   
  
"Oh, yeah, sure," Harry said, with a hint of sarcasm. "Even detention."   
  
Dumbledore simply smiled, then reached into his robes to pull out his pocket watch, and turning towards Draco and Sirius stated, "Well, you two should get going."   
  
The group of five left the room, walking down the halls with purposeful but not rushed steps, and out of the front door and onto the Hogwarts grounds. They stopped just outside the Hogwarts gates and Draco pulled on his cloak, as now that they were outside the wards of the school it was back to typical February weather and was quite cold. Sirius turned to speak for a moment with Dumbledore, giving Draco a bit of time to try to reassure Harry, who'd looked more and more worried the closer they'd gotten to the gates. Harry wrapped his arms tightly across his body and Draco sighed.  
  
"I'll be fine, Harry," Draco said, reaching up to briefly run his fingers across Harry's cheek. "I'll see you tonight."   
  
Harry nodded. "Tonight," he repeated faintly.   
  
Sirius then appeared at Draco's side. "Ready?" he asked as he pulled out his wand, gesturing for Draco to do the same.   
  
"Ready," Draco repeated. He nodded again at Harry, who'd moved to stand next to Narcissa.   
  
"On three," Sirius said. "One, two, three." And with that Draco Apparated.  
  
His feet landed upon grass and his knees buckled slightly from the impact, although he managed to keep himself upright. Next to him, Sirius had already transformed into his Animagus form. Draco tugged his cloak tighter around his body and the two of them began their trek toward the Manor grounds. As they reached the crest of the first hill, Draco felt someone tug on his trouser leg. He looked down to see Sirius, sitting on his hind legs.   
  
"This is where you leave me I guess," Draco said softly, reaching down to pat the dog on its head. Padfoot whined in response. "Well, okay. I'll see you in a bit then." Padfoot gave a soft bark, then lumbered over to a nearby grove of trees.  
  
Draco turned away and continued his journey, up and over hills too numerous to count. It had reached the point where he was wondering if he'd be able to make it up another one; he was practically crawling up the inclines as it was. Fingers gripping the blades of grass, he pulled himself up the rest of the hill, hoping that it would be the last one.   
  
And it was.   
  
For there, standing in front of him, dark and foreboding, was Malfoy Manor.   
  
_(end chapter twelve)_


	13. Chapter 13

After Draco and Sirius disappeared with a  _pop_ , Harry was left standing between Dumbledore and Narcissa, heart thumping so loudly he could have sworn the other two could hear it. His throat had closed up somewhere in the middle of Sirius' count, and he was unsure if he'd be able to find his voice.   
  
He'd never been more scared in his entire life.   
  
This realization surprised him a bit. After all, he'd faced Voldemort on several occasions, and was positive he'd been terrified in all of them.   
  
But, he supposed this was different.   
  
In each situation where he'd come face to face with Voldemort, he'd pretty much been thrust into them blindly, with little or no warning at all. He frankly hadn't had much time to get frightened, as he'd been too busy trying to stay alive. The one exception to that had been, of course, the Triwizard fiasco, which he'd been lucky to escape with his life.   
  
Dumbledore suddenly placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, jolting him from his thoughts, and nearly causing him to jump out of his skin.   
  
"Well, Harry, I think you should go on in for your detention. Professor Snape is sure to be waiting."   
  
Harry didn't trust his voice, so he simply nodded, stepping away from the two adults and heading towards the castle. The shock of stepping from normal February temperatures into the upper thirties again took his breath away, and Harry gripped the gates tightly for a moment before starting up the path.  
  
As he walked, the temperature seemed to grow hotter, and the walk from the Hogwarts gates to the front doors longer. By the time he reached the school, the muscles in his legs were screaming at him and sweat was dripping down his back, no doubt due to his rather quick pace. The last thing he wanted was to be late and lose points for his house. He pushed open the doors, hoping he'd be greeted with slightly cooler air, only to have the heat steal what was left of his breath.   
  
This was, he thought crossly, getting ridiculous. At least Draco's journey into Malfoy Manor would relieve this heat, assuming, of course, that he found the book and got back out. But Harry wasn't going to think about that right now.   
  
Panting slightly from his quick trek across the Hogwarts grounds, he shoved a hand through his hair, pausing in his journey to the Potions classroom. He glanced around the Entrance Hall, seeing a couple of students sitting on the main staircase, sharing a book. Harry didn't quite understand the concept of studying on the stairs, but merely shrugged, continuing on his way to the dungeons. It was, most likely, cooler in the Entrance Hall than anywhere else in the school, he supposed.  
  
His thoughts were spinning wildly in his head, and he was hoping he'd be able to keep the panic and fear for Draco pushed down, at least until he was finished with his detention. No reason to give Snape anything else to taunt him about, after all. He pushed open the door to the classroom and stepped inside, walking determinedly down the aisle.   
  
Snape was seated at his desk, several rolls of parchment next to him, and he was viciously making marks on the poor essay before him. Harry could see the red ink from where he was standing.   
  
"Professor?" he finally said after five minutes of silence, and was pleased to see that his voice had come out sounding normal.   
  
"Potter," Snape replied, not glancing up from the essays in front of him. "I see you're on time."   
  
"Yes, sir," Harry said uncertainly, not sure whether Snape had wanted a response or not. Making one last mark on the parchment, the potions master wrote a large "D" across the top, a look of satisfaction on his face. Harry swallowed audibly.   
  
"Potter," Snape said again, adding the graded parchment to the pile to his left. "Your assignment for this detention is to clean up my potions store. I want all the containers wiped down and organized correctly on the shelves. You may leave once you're finished. And no magic."   
  
Harry blinked at this. That had not been what he was expecting at all. He'd been thinking more along the lines of scrubbing cauldrons with a toothbrush. "Yes, sir," he finally murmured, after realizing that Snape was still staring at him, awaiting his response. Snape nodded once then turned back to the pile of ungraded essays, selecting one with a grimace.   
  
Harry shrugged and picked up a rag, which had been sitting on the tabletop nearest the potions storeroom. He stepped into the room, amazed to feel cool air, no doubt from some strategically placed spells necessary to keep the potion ingredients stable. He reached for a glass jar labeled "Dragonfly Wings", which for some reason was in the section for ingredients that began with "M", and slowly wiped it off.  
  
He took a look around the room, surveying his project for the evening. It appeared that there wasn't a single jar or bottle on its correct shelf. Everything seemed totally disorganized and out of order, and it was very dusty in the room.  
  
Harry sighed, and settled down on the floor with his legs crossed. He might as well get sort of comfortable, because this was going to be a long night.   
  
***   
  
Draco felt his knees give out, and he slumped to the ground, eyes still fixed on the fencing in front of him.   
  
"I made it," he murmured out loud, running his fingers through the blades of grass. He'd never been so glad to see Malfoy Manor in his life. He was sure that he would have been unable to climb any more hills.   
  
Then the uncertainty set in. After all, he had no idea what awaited him once he was inside the gates. He turned that thought off quickly, though, instead concentrating on getting off his knees.   
  
Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself to his feet and took out his wand. He carefully approached the fence, still wary of setting off any alarms, and glanced around, hoping he wouldn't see anyone, and more importantly, that no one would see him. Not seeing anyone lurking in the trees, he turned his full attention to the fence in front of him. It was made of iron and had been specially designed for the Manor. The Malfoy crest was located every five feet or so along the top, the design looking slightly sinister in the darkness.   
  
"Okay," Draco said softly, holding his wand tightly in his hand. Giving the typical "swish and flick", he said, " _Finite Persisto Herba_."   
  
The fencing glowed a slight yellow color, just as it had in the Charms classroom back at Hogwarts, and Draco relaxed a fraction. "One down," he murmured, lifting his free hand to push the hair off his forehead. "Five to go."  
  
He continued ending the spells on the fencing, each requiring a more complex wave of his wand, and watched with cautious optimism as the iron glowed the correct colors. He stopped every so often to again glance around the grounds, wanting to be absolutely sure that he was alone, and also taking a little time to get his thoughts in order for the next spells.   
  
With each spell properly cast, the tension in Draco's body lessened, although Draco had no doubt that it would return tenfold once he was actually through the fencing. Pausing to take a deep breath, Draco pointed his wand directly at the spot of the fencing he was going to enter. The next three spells were the most complex, and actually tired him out a bit. He was hoping that the Pepper-Up potion Snape had given him before leaving Hogwarts would help against those side effects.   
  
He carefully ended the next two spells, careful not to let his concentration sway or to get too excited by his accomplishments, because the most difficult spell, and the one that had given him the most trouble, still remained.  
  
Draco held his breath again, as the iron gleamed purple, thus indicating the completion of the fifth spell. Releasing his breath on a hiss, he pointed his wand again, giving the simple "swish and flick" motion again, remembering Harry's words in his mind, and said softly, " _Aedifico Foris_."   
  
The opening appeared and Draco had to hold back the urge to "whoop" loudly. He'd done it. Glancing around the grounds one final time, he slid his wand into his pocket and transformed into a beautiful silver fox, climbing carefully through the opening.   
  
Being a fox was quite different from being a human, Draco mused, and allowed himself a few seconds to get used to the transition. His center of gravity was quite a bit lower, and there was also the issue of having four legs. His sense of smell was heightened, as was his hearing. He could hear owls hooting in the trees of the forest lining the grounds, and even the small sounds of cicadas in the grass. His nose actually tickled a bit from the scent of roses, no doubt growing in the Malfoy Gardens, which had been enchanted to bloom all year round.   
  
He jogged lightly across the grass, eyes and ears intent on his surroundings. The idea was for him to remain in his Animagus form, as he could travel more quickly and receive less attention in that form, unless he came across a dangerous situation. If that happened he was told to immediately change back and defend himself. So far, the journey across the Manor grounds had been uneventful. He came to a large body of water, which in reality was actually a small pond, and stepped up to the water's edge to see his reflection. Silver eyes gleamed back at him in the light of the moon, and his silver fur shone brightly. He was, he thought vainly, rather beautiful.   
  
He stepped back away from the water and continued on his journey, jogging around the pond. It probably would have been quicker to swim across, but Draco had no intention of getting wet. He was sure that wet fur wouldn't be all that attractive on anyone - even a Malfoy.   
  
He stopped again, this time outside the gardens, the scent of the flowers strong in the slight breeze. His nose tickled and he sneezed, a small animal sneeze that would have caused most girls to respond, " _How cute_!" Using a paw to brush away a leaf that had fallen from a nearby bush onto his head, he stepped slowly into the gardens, eyes carefully scanning the grounds.   
  
Of all the places on the Manor grounds, Draco's least favorite was the gardens. There were many plants that were actually illegal to own. Several were of the man-eating variety, and several more had special charms to attack unwanted visitors. Draco desperately hoped he didn't qualify as one of those "unwanted visitors".   
  
There were several rose bushes, in all different shades, lining one wall of the garden. Roses were his mother's favorite flower, and Lucius had gone to no expense to give them to her. Of course, it was all for appearances sake - his father actually couldn't have cared less about what his mother liked or did not like - but Lucius refused to look bad in front of his peers. To Draco's left was one of the man-eating plants, a tall vine that, strategically enough, was placed directly under what used to be his bedroom window. Draco had named the plant Louis when he'd been younger, after a vampire he'd read about in a Muggle book that Pansy had given him. This somehow seemed appropriate, even now.   
  
Next to Louis were some lilac bushes and a white stone bench. Draco remembered that his mother had liked to sit on the bench and read when the weather had been nice. Shaking his head to clear away the memories, he sped up his pace. He wanted to get out of the gardens.   
  
Once reaching the other side, he paused again, this time scanning the brick of the Manor itself. There was a door on the outside that led to the servant quarters, although the Malfoy's had never actually had servants, instead relying on the house-elves for their every need. Draco had used the door to escape from his father, and hoped that it hadn't been bolted shut.   
  
He transformed back into his human self, long fingers immediately seeking out the doorknob, which would only appear after tapping each of the panels on the door itself in a specific order. Knocking once lightly on each panel, the handle appeared, and Draco nearly sobbed in relief. He turned the knob, body tense, and pushed the door open.   
  
Gently closing the door behind him, he leaned against it for a moment, getting used to the claustrophobic space and the feeling of again walking on two legs. He carefully retrieved his wand from his inside pocket, whispering, " _Lumos_ ". The spell cast a soft glow of light on Draco's surroundings, and he nearly groaned aloud at what he saw.   
  
Stairs.   
  
A  _ton_  of stairs.   
  
He'd  _forgotten about the stairs_.   
  
Bringing up his free hand, he pinched the bridge of his nose. It was just his luck, he supposed, dropping his hand back to his side. Sighing, he began his trudge up the steps, leg muscles screaming at him after only four flights.   
  
He climbed slowly, first one flight, then ten, and actually had to stop after a while, knowing he simply couldn't go another step. He slid down the wall, one hand still holding his wand, the other tightly gripping the handrail, and sat on a step. How the hell had he managed to climb all these when he'd lived here? He remembered some days when he ran up and down them three or four times but now his body was already yelling at him in protest, and Draco knew he still had several more flights to climb. Taking a deep breath, he stood, doing his best to ignore the pain.   
  
_You know_ , he thought to himself,  _if you'd been a Gryffindor, you'd be used to this by now._    
  
That thought put a grin on his face, which quickly turned into a grimace as he got a cramp in his left calf, causing him to pause in his journey to rub at it gingerly.  
  
Finally Draco reached his destination. He carefully pushed the door open, wand ready in his other hand. He wasn't really expecting to see anyone, as the servants quarters hadn't been used since he'd left for Hogwarts, but wanted to be careful nonetheless. He'd used the rooms as his play land when he'd been younger, a place where no one would ever venture into and find him. It had been his sanctuary, and if either of his parents had known, they'd not said anything about it.   
  
The floor was covered in dust and there were white sheets thrown over the furniture. In the corner Draco saw a small pile of blocks, built into what he'd imagined Hogwarts had looked like at the age of ten. Propped in another corner was a small broom. It was actually the broom he'd learned to fly on. There was a crate of Quidditch balls next to it. He smiled at the memories this room evoked, but knew he couldn't remain any longer. He had to find that book and get out of here.   
  
Treading lightly across the floor, Draco opened another door, which led him into the hallway. Lucius' study was on this floor, ten doors to Draco's left. Of course, there was nowhere to hide in the hallway, so if anyone appeared they'd see Draco without any trouble. That is, they'd see him if it weren't for the Invisibility Cloak conveniently shrunk and hidden in his pocket.   
  
Harry had given the cloak to him yesterday, saying that Draco had to promise to take it with him, as you never knew when you'd need it. And right now, Draco was very glad that Harry had done so. After saying a quick spell to return the item to its original size, he donned the cloak and arranged it so that every bit of him was hidden and set off down the hall.   
  
Counting silently to himself, he glanced around once again. Draco hadn't set foot in this house in eighteen months, and was curious to see what, if any, changes had been made.   
  
The family portraits still graced the walls, and Draco could see their eyes following his movement; they apparently had the ability to see through the Cloak. Between each doorway on his right was a small table, complete with a small vase of flowers. This had been another thing his mother had loved, and Draco was rather impressed that Lucius was still fulfilling her wishes. His wife had, after all, run off and fallen in love with Sirius Black.   
  
Draco finally stopped in front of the study door, a gleaming expanse of oak, gold handle shining. Taking a deep breath, he reached out, hand closing around the knob, and turned it. There were no sirens, no lights; no noise of any kind. Draco relaxed slightly.   
  
He pushed open the door, which was charmed so that only those of Malfoy blood could enter, and stepped lightly onto the carpet, feet sinking into the thick plush rug. He pulled off the cloak, instantly running a hand through his hair to tame it. He pocketed his wand and looked up.   
  
His breath caught instantly in his throat.   
  
For there, staring him in the eyes with a smirk on his lips, was Lucius Malfoy.   
  
_(end chapter thirteen)_


	14. Chapter 14

Harry surveyed the empty shelf in front of him with dismay.   
  
He'd been in the small potions storeroom for nearly an hour, and he'd only managed to tidy up one shelf.   
  
This was going to take  _forever_.   
  
Harry lowered himself carefully to the floor and placed the dirty rag on top of a bottle labeled "Daisy Roots", which was, of course, sitting on the shelf labeled "A".   
  
Looking down at the ingredients next to him, Harry began to rather tedious task of sorting the containers by their first letter. Even though he'd started with the "M" shelf, only three of the jars and bottles situated on it actually belonged there. Harry couldn't help but wonder if Snape had purposely rearranged the cupboard just to give him more work. He definitely wouldn't have put it past the moody Potion's Master.   
  
Carefully, he gathered up the appropriate ingredients and stood, placing them on the "M" shelf. He then turned his attention to the "N" shelf, promptly pulling off a jar of Billywig Stings.   
  
"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, wiping off the container and setting it gently on the ground next to the blue bottle of Essence of Belladonna.   
  
It was still warm in the room, even with the slight breeze brought about by the cooling charm, and Harry's glasses kept sliding down his nose. He was covered in dust and dirt and had, a few times, broken out into coughing fits.   
  
Harry was almost positive that it had not been this dusty last week when they'd been in here to get ingredients for their potions. But, then again, he hadn't  _really_  been paying that much attention.   
  
He finished clearing off the shelf, placing the jars and bottles either on the appropriate clean shelf (of which there were only two) or on the floor, and glared at the rag in his hand. It was now too dirty to continue using, which meant he was going to have to ask Snape for another.   
  
"Bollocks," he muttered, using his other hand to push back his hair. He carefully stepped around the groups of ingredients and stuck his head out the door.   
  
"Professor?" he asked cautiously, one hand gripping the doorframe tightly. He  _really_  hated talking to Snape.  
  
"Potter," Snape replied without looking up. He was still grading essays, red ink visible on the end of his quill.   
  
"Erm, sorry to bother you…." Harry tried again after a moment, as Snape had yet to even look up. "But I need a new rag."   
  
Snape finally looked up, seemingly almost amazed to see Harry standing there. "What?" he asked sharply.   
  
"I need a new rag," Harry said, teeth clenched tightly.   
  
Snape waved dismissively over his shoulder. "Second drawer from the right."   
  
Harry sighed, rolled his eyes, and released his grip on the doorframe. He dropped the dirty rag on the countertop and opened the drawer. There were six rags in it, so he took all of them. Hopefully it would be enough.   
  
Harry glanced at Snape, who was once again immersed in the essays. The one he was reading was already covered with red; Harry fervently hoped it wasn't his. He didn't think his Potions grade could handle another low mark on an essay.  
  
He stepped back into the storeroom, pausing in the doorway to let his eyes adjust. It was rather dark in the cupboard, as Harry hadn't bothered with any lights.  
  
" _Lumos_ ," he muttered, and the torches on the walls flared to life. He viewed the mess he'd made with a slight smile. It really was quite a sight and made Harry feel marginally better.   
  
Harry stepped over his pile of "A" ingredients, and settled down on his knees. He meticulously wiped and cleaned and dusted off every single bottle, jar, and shelf in the closet. The dust was very thick in the air; Harry could see it drifting in the light from the torches. He figured he'd sneezed and coughed more in this short time period than he had in his entire life.   
  
Shoving his hair off his forehead with one hand, Harry used the other to pull himself to his feet. He was completely covered in dust and could barely see through his glasses. Wiping his hands on the back of his shorts, he bent down and began placing the ingredients piled on the floor onto their appropriate shelves.  
  
He started humming softly to himself, then stopped, rather aghast to realize he'd been humming  _Weasley is Our King_. The tune had become a favorite of Gryffindor House ever since fifth year, when Ron's great Quidditch playing had led to the retention of the Quidditch Cup. The song had actually been changed a bit along the way as well, becoming everything from  _Potter is Our Hero_  to  _Hermione is Head Girl_.   
  
Harry, however, preferred it in its original form, where his name was not mentioned at all. To this day he was still rather impressed with the fact that Draco had written it.  
  
Draco.  
  
Harry closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the "S" shelf, a green jar of Shrivelfig clenched tightly in his hand.  
  
Draco had now been gone for about three hours, Harry noted after a glance at his watch. The fear he'd so valiantly kept at bay since Draco had Apparated away from Hogwarts came roaring back, and Harry swallowed heavily.  
  
If he were to be honest with himself, Harry would admit that even though he knew Draco was a powerful wizard and could cast the spells needed to get into the Manor, he was still absolutely terrified. There was no guarantee that Draco would be safe. There was no guarantee that Lucius wouldn't show up and catch his son taking the book. There was no guarantee that any of the potential problems that  _could_  happen  _wouldn't_  happen.  
  
There was no guarantee that Draco would ever make it back to Hogwarts.  
  
Angry with himself for thinking this way, Harry slammed his fist down on the shelf, rattling the ingredients sitting on it. The noise startled him back into his surroundings, as did the sound of Snape saying, " _Potter_ ," in a rather threatening tone.  
  
_No_ , thought Harry to himself, shoving his hair back again.  _This won't do at all_.  
  
He pushed all thoughts of Draco to the back of his mind, setting the jar of Shrivelfig on the shelf with concentrated gentleness. He would simply finish cleaning up the cupboard then take his leave of Snape. Maybe he'd even go flying. Now that the sun was down the temperature was moderately cooler, after all.  
  
His mind wandered again while he was in the middle of setting the jar of Snake Fangs on the shelf. The container didn't actually make contact with the shelf at all, instead falling rapidly towards the floor. Harry, Seeker reflexes kicking in, grabbed it just in time, preventing the shattering of glass and Snape's wrath.  
  
"Think, Harry," he muttered quietly to himself, setting the jar down a little harder than necessary. It was getting warmer in the storeroom by the minute, at least in Harry's mind, and he wanted to be free of it immediately.  
  
One by one the ingredients left the floor, taking their places on the clean shelves. "Armadillo Bile, 'A', Boomslang Skin, 'B'," Harry recited softly. The process continued on and on until the floor was empty, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Thank God," he whispered, letting his eyes fall shut momentarily. He stooped down again to gather all his rags, sneezing as the movement raised more dust in the air, and took one last look around the storeroom. Hopefully he wouldn't ever have to clean it again.  
  
" _Nox_ ," he said quietly, extinguishing the torches, and left the room, closing the door behind him softly.  
  
Snape was still at his desk, but the essays he had been grading were obviously finished, as they were laying in neat piles on the tabletop. There was a large black cauldron in the center of the desk; Harry could hear the liquid inside it bubbling.  
  
"Potter," Snape intoned, carefully measuring out a red liquid and adding it to the mixture in the cauldron. "Are you finished?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Harry replied, walking over to the cabinets along the front of the room, picking up the rag he'd set down earlier. "What should I do with these?"  
  
Snape didn't respond for a moment, simply staring at Harry without blinking. Harry felt himself grow nervous and resisted the urge to shuffle his feet.  
  
"Just leave them on the table nearest the door," Snape finally said, picking up the wooden spoon to his right and stirring his concoction twice. "But before you go, I need you to bring me the jar of Ginger Root and a bottle of Armadillo Bile." Harry didn't move. " _Now_ ," Snape added sharply.  
  
Harry jumped slightly at the tone, turned quickly and walked into the storeroom. After a quickly muttered, " _Lumos_ ," he perused the newly-cleaned shelves, finding the ingredients easily. He wasn't sure why Snape couldn't have gotten the ingredients himself, but kept that opinion to himself, instead muttering, " _Nox_ ," to extinguish the light and closing the door behind himself again. He placed the ingredients on Snape's desk carefully.  
  
"May I go now, Sir?" he asked politely, keeping his eyes trained on the black surface of the desk in front of him.  
  
He felt the Potions professor's eyes on him and waited for his answer, afraid for a moment that Snape was going to give him more work.  
  
"You may leave, Potter," Snape said after a moment. "But report to the Headmaster's office. He apparently has something he needs to speak with you about."  
  
The last sentence was said with a bit of distaste, but Harry ignored it, instead nodding his head. He turned quickly and moved through the classroom, dropping the dirty rags on the correct table. He opened the door quietly, looking back once more at Snape who was once again stirring his potion and left, shutting the door gently behind him.  
  
He moved through the hallways, which were completely empty, as curfew had begun an hour before, idly wondering what Dumbledore wanted.   
  
He hoped that whatever it was, it was good.  
  
***  
  
Draco took a deep breath, trying to even out his heartbeat. Lucius' voice never ceased to cause a reaction in him, and that initial reaction was usually one of fear.  
  
"Hello, Father," he said carefully, keeping his eyes locked on those of Lucius as he took another careful step into the library.  
  
"I knew you'd come back here sooner or later," Lucius sneered, grey eyes hard.  
  
"Oh, you did, did you?" Draco asked nonchalantly, casually lifting a hand to examine his fingernails.  
  
"Yes," Lucius said, voice full of arrogance.  
  
"Hmm," Draco replied, dropping his hand to his side. "Well then I'm sure you also know I'm not intending to stay."  
  
Lucius didn't say anything to this, and Draco allowed a small smirk to appear on his face. "And," he added smugly, "I don't think you are in any position to make me."  
  
His father frowned at this, but again didn't say anything. Draco crossed the room and stopped in front of a glass display case.  
  
"Ah," Lucius said finally. "You are here to steal my book."  
  
"Ah," Draco imitated perfectly. "You would be correct."  
  
"I'm assuming Dumbledore told you about that book," Lucius said. "After all," he drawled, "it's not like  _you_  would have remembered it."  
  
"No, of course not," Draco snapped, sarcasm dripping from every word. "Because we all know how stupid I am."  
  
His father smirked. "You are not stupid, Draco. You are a Malfoy after all." Draco rolled his eyes at this, turning his attention back to the glass case in front of him. "You are simply using your intelligence for the wrong side," Lucius added.  
  
"Oh, give it a rest," Draco muttered, running his fingers lightly over the glass. There had to be a way to get to the book.  
  
His father was now listing off all of the wondrous benefits of being involved with the Dark Lord. Amazingly enough, they seemed to revolve around killing, maiming and death, with the occasional, "He's very powerful, Draco."  
  
"Hmm, I'm sure it's all very nice," Draco replied evenly, squinting slightly at the glass case. "But, you see Father, I could never join the Death Eaters. Because, well, you seem to be awfully focused on killing Harry Potter, and, well, my thoughts tend to revolve around doing very different sorts of things to him."  
  
Lucius blinked. "What things?"  
  
"Oh, use your imagination," Draco snapped. "I know you've got a good one."  
  
His father's eyes widened, and Draco smiled.  
  
"You … you and  _Potter_?" His father sounded outraged and impressed all at once, and Draco coughed to hide his laughter.  
  
"Yes, Father," he replied after a moment. "Me and  _Potter_."  
  
Draco ignored his father's following tirade with a smile on his face. He dropped to his knees, running his fingers along the wooden base of the display case. He resisted the urge to whistle, albeit just barely.  
  
His fingers finally caught on a hidden panel, and Draco pushed, breath catching momentarily in his throat. The glass case opened and he let a small "Finally," escape.  
  
He stood again, dusting off the knees of his trousers, and carefully picked up the book that was displayed proudly on green velvet. The tome was rather heavy, with a leather-bound cover. It was obviously very old. The pages were edged in gold, and the title,  _Caligo Devotio_ , was written in scripted lettering across the front.  
  
"Well, Father," Draco said, turning to face Lucius. "I've got what I came for, so I'll be taking my leave of you now."  
  
"You can't just do that Draco," Lucius said, voice turning dark in an instant. The tone sent a shiver down Draco's spine but he straightened his shoulders and tucked the book closer to his chest.  
  
"Actually," Draco replied, moving towards the door, "I can. Because, as I mentioned before, you aren't in any position to stop me."  
  
Draco paused and looked once more at his father. Lucius was dressed all in black; his black velvet robes fell majestically from his shoulders, held together with an intricate silver clasp. His hair was pulled back in its characteristic ponytail, no doubt secured with that silly black ribbon. But perhaps the most important part of Lucius' appearance was this: he was currently being quite nicely displayed in an ornate silver frame.  
  
Lucius frowned once more, no doubt at the insolence his only child was showing him. Draco bit his tongue to keep his laughter inside. This was almost too easy.   
  
"So, as I said, I'm taking leave of this place. Goodbye, Father. Hang in there. I'm sure all will be as it should in the end." Draco reached for Harry's Invisibility Cloak that he'd dropped on the floor in his surprise at seeing his Father, and threw it over his head. He tucked the book under one arm and opened the door with the other, then retrieved his wand and set out on his way. The sooner he was out of the Manor, the better he would feel.  
  
He walked slowly down the hallway, stopping to go back through the door into the dusty room. He pulled off the cloak once the door had shut behind him, after a cursory look around the room to ensure he was alone. He didn't want to accidentally run into anyone else, portrait or no.  
  
Draping the cloak across his free arm, Draco hoisted the book up, as it was already getting quite heavy, and set out across the room. He continued down the many stairs, stopping again just before the door that would take him outside onto the Manor grounds.   
  
Drawing a deep breath he pulled the cloak back over his head. He was going to have to walk back across the grounds in his human form, as it would be impossible to carry the book in his Animagus form, which would have admittedly been safer.  
  
Draco slowly opened the door into the gardens and stepped out, the smell of the flowers once again assaulting his senses and becoming almost instantly overwhelming. He moved through the gardens fairly quickly, giving a mock invisible salute to Louis, who had once again failed to keep him inside the Manor.  
  
He got out of the gardens and breathed a small sigh of relief, even though his journey was far from over. He continued across the grass, which was slightly damp from the rain that had apparently fallen while he'd been inside. The temperature was cool here, although not as cool as it should have been for February, but Draco decided this was most likely due to the temperature control Lucius kept on the grounds, which had been temporarily disabled in order for Draco to enter in the first place.   
  
He came to the small pond, which had seemed so large in his Animagus form, and made his way along the edge of the water. Looking down at where his reflection should have been, Draco decided that it was odd not to see himself in the water, even though he knew he was there. Using his wand hand to push the book back up into place, as it was sliding down his body, the soon-to-be-disinherited Malfoy heir continued walking, quickening his pace a bit to try to get himself off the grounds sooner.  
  
He climbed slowly up a hill and saw the Manor fence in front of him. The small opening was still present, which was another relief, as he wasn't really looking forward to having to recast all of the spells. The Pepper-Up potion was nearly out of his system, and Draco was tiring quickly.  
  
Draco dropped to his knees in front of the gap and took off the Invisibility Cloak, shrinking it to fit in his pocket. He pushed the book through the opening, where it hit the ground with a soft thump, then tucked his wand away and transformed once again into a silver fox, jumping easily through the hole.  
  
Once he was through he immediately returned to his normal form, pulling out his wand again. He cast  _Finite Incantatem_ , and the fencing glowed purple, indicating that all the spells were once again operating. He stooped down to pick up the book, tucking it under his arm. The winter wind whipped his cloak around him as he set off down the hill at a very fast pace. He wanted to get away from Malfoy Manor and he wanted to get away now.  
  
Draco continued down one hill, then another, until he was finally able to make out the form of a large shaggy dog in the distance, and had to keep himself from calling out to Sirius.  
  
Draco finally reached Sirius, giving him a pat on the head and dropping to the ground. "Hello, Padfoot," he said softly, taking another deep breath. "Do you think we could just rest here for a minute?"  
  
Padfoot inclined his head, as if in thought, then gave it a rough shake, bending his head down to nip lightly at Draco's fingers.  
  
"Ow, okay, okay, I'm getting up," Draco complained, looking mournfully at his hand. "You didn't have to bite me."  
  
Sirius gave a light bark, and turned away from him, indicating that they should get moving. Draco pushed himself to his feet, once again hoisting the book under his arm. He would be glad when he could get rid of the stupid thing and hoped he'd never have to see it again.  
  
Following the dog over a few more hills, he looked down at his feet briefly, only to look back up and into the grey eyes of Sirius Black.  
  
"Hey," Draco said in surprise, his heart once again taking up momentary residence in his throat. "Don't do that."  
  
Sirius smiled at him. "Did everything go okay?"  
  
"Yes," Draco replied, transferring the book into Sirius' hands. "I thought for a moment that my father had caught me, but then realized that I was actually looking at his portrait. Bloody things. I wish they weren't so lifelike."  
  
Sirius laughed, and clapped Draco roughly on the back. "Let's get back to Hogwarts, shall we? I think Harry will no doubt be waiting impatiently."  
  
Draco looked up at that, but kept his expression calm. Sirius was regarding him just as serenely, which made Draco wonder just how much the older man knew.  
  
"I'm sure he will," Draco finally said.  
  
Sirius nodded. "Then let's go. On three. One. Two. Three." And with that, they disappeared with a  _pop_ , leaving Malfoy Manor behind.  
  
_(end chapter fourteen)_


	15. Chapter 15

Pansy walked quietly along the second-floor corridor, checking each classroom for anyone who was out after hours. So far she'd found two Hufflepuff fourth years whose snogging she'd interrupted, and two Ravenclaw third years who were in the Charms classroom practicing some sort of spell that had lit the entire room in a blue glow. The spell, as Pansy had seen, was from a book out of the Restricted Section, and neither Ravenclaw could explain how the book had come to be in their possession. Pansy had confiscated the book and removed ten points from each of the four, smirking at their complaints and sent them back to their common rooms. The book she kept for herself - one could never pass up an opportunity to learn new spells, after all.  
  
All in all it was a pretty typical night.  
  
She closed the final door with a sigh and glanced at her watch. It was currently half past eleven, which meant that she still had half an hour left of patrol duty. One of her duties as a Prefect was to patrol the school three nights a week for two hours at a time. Tonight she was sharing the job with Justin Finch-Fletchley, who she'd sent off to monitor the Ravenclaw territory. Her usual patrol partner was Draco, but he'd disappeared right after supper to do God only knew what and had not, to Pansy's knowledge, returned yet. So instead, she was stuck with a Hufflepuff for the evening.  
  
It was completely unfair, she decided with a huff.  
  
She pushed herself away from the wall and headed back down the corridor; she figured she might as well find Finch-Fletchley and then head back to her common room. After all, she had to write up the reports on the students she'd found out after hours. And maybe Draco would be back, too.  
  
At that thought she quickened her step. As she rounded a corner she promptly slammed into someone. The collision knocked the wind out of her, and she felt herself falling toward the ground, before strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back to her feet.  
  
"Parkinson," the familiar voice said. "Are you all right?" His hands, which were still resting on her hips, steadied her.  
  
_Bloody hell._  Of all the people she could have run into it had to be Harry Bloody Potter.  
  
"Potter," she replied, stepping backwards to put some distance between them. His hands dropped to his sides.  
  
"Sorry," he told her, reaching to push his glasses up. "I didn't see you."  
  
"That much was painfully obvious, Potter," she retorted. "What are you doing out here anyway? Don't you know it's past curfew?"  
  
Potter rolled his eyes. "I just got out of detention with Snape." He spat the name and she couldn't help but smile a bit at the venom in his voice.  
  
"Ah." She ran a hand over her shirt to straighten it out. It was odd, she decided, to be standing in the middle of the Charms corridor talking to Harry Potter. She couldn't ever remember having a civil conversation with him before in all their years together at school.  
  
Pansy realized that Potter was staring at her with his head tilted to one side. "What?" she snapped somewhat defensively.  
  
He shook his head slightly, and she was surprised to see a small smile on his face. "I'm just trying to figure out why Draco cares for you, that's all."  
  
She blinked. "Oh," was all she found herself able to say.  
  
He laughed quietly. "Sorry. That didn't come out right. I didn't mean that the way it sounded." He shifted his feet slightly and shoved a hand through his hair. "I'm sure you're perfectly lovely, but it's just that you and I, I mean, we've never really got along. We've had a lot of arguments."   
  
Pansy resisted the urge to smile at him and folded her hands to keep from reaching up and straightening Potter's hair, which was poking up haphazardly around his head. He smelled vaguely of dust, too, and she wondered what on earth he'd been doing for his detention.  
  
"Well, to be honest, I've asked myself that question as well, in regards to you. I mean, Draco may speak very highly of you, but I'm not so convinced," Pansy replied, then smiled slightly, giving herself away. She was rewarded with a grin and a roll of the eyes, and decided that no, Harry Potter was not at all bad to look at; Draco definitely had a point there.  
  
"I see," Potter eventually replied, after clearing his throat. "Anyway, I'd better get up to Dumbledore's office. That's where I was heading when I, er, ran into you. You sure you're all right, by the way?"  
  
"I'm fine," Pansy said. "Is it about Draco? I mean, is that why Dumbledore wants to see you?" The humor that had been in her voice was quickly replaced with worry.  
  
Potter sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know."  
  
Pansy nodded. "I know I probably shouldn't ask you this, and I don't really expect you to tell me, seeing as Draco wouldn't even tell me," she added as an afterthought, "but where exactly is he?"  
  
Potter regarded her silently for a moment. "You're right. I can't tell you."  
  
Pansy pushed down on the anger that immediately bubbled up inside of her at his nonchalant answer. Like she'd told him, she hadn't really expected an answer, but couldn't help but be upset at being kept in the dark about what was going on.  
  
"Can't? Or won't?" she asked sharply, then hauled in a breath to calm herself down. Potter continued to watch her calmly.  
  
"He's my best friend, Potter," she finally told him, her voice very quiet. "And I love him." She saw something flash briefly across Potter's face at that, but it was gone before she could really decipher it. "And I know that he's doing whatever it is he's doing for  _you_." Potter looked like he was going to object for a second, then decided against it and merely shrugged. Pansy continued. "If anything happens to him because of you and your need to involve everyone else in your problems, you're going to wish that You-Know-Who had succeeded in killing you. I promise you that."  
  
Potter looked shell-shocked for a moment at the calmly-intoned threat, but pulled himself together quickly. "Parkinson, nothing you can do to me will be worse than what I'd want to do to myself if anything happens to him." And with that, he gave her a curt nod, before brushing past her and continuing down the hall.  
  
Pansy watched him with wide eyes until she couldn't see him anymore. That last response had not been what she was expecting and now gave her quite a bit to think about. She wrapped her arms around herself and took a deep breath. Well, this was certainly interesting, at any rate.  
  
_Jesus, let Draco be all right_ , she thought to herself, as she walked down the hall in search of Finch-Fletchley.  
  
***  
  
Harry stood in front of the Gargoyle, silently counting in his head to ten, trying to reign in his temper. He was so angry at Pansy for insinuating that he didn't care about what happened to Draco. What did Pansy think, that she was the only one who cared about him? That Harry didn't care if Draco got himself killed? And now Harry had practically told her the opposite - what was he thinking? Draco hadn't wanted to tell anyone about them, and now Harry had gone and really done it. Not to mention the terror he was still feeling that something  _had_  happened to Draco and that's why Dumbledore wanted to see him. What if something had gone wrong? Harry didn't even want to think about it, which was probably why he was unable to think of anything else.  
  
He took a deep breath and released it, running a hand down his sides to try to straighten his shirt and remove any leftover dust acquired from the storeroom from his palms. The movement also helped to slightly calm his nerves, for which he was grateful. It was no good going into Dumbledore's office openly upset.  
  
"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Harry spoke clearly, stepping back as the revolving staircase appeared in front of him. He stepped on, hoping that once he reached the top Draco would be safely inside.  
  
Climbing the rest of the stairs, Harry paused for a moment at the door to knock.  
  
"Come in, Harry," came Dumbledore's voice, and Harry rolled his eyes at the way the Headmaster always seemed to know everything.  
  
Harry turned the knob, opening the door, and stepped inside. His breath instantly caught in his throat: there, leaning against the side of Dumbledore's desk with a horribly smug grin on his face, was Draco.  
  
Harry felt his knees nearly give out with relief and he grabbed at the doorframe to keep himself upright. Draco's grin widened.  
  
"Harry," he said, his smugness also apparent in his voice. "I got the book." He gestured towards Dumbledore's desk, where  _Caligo Devotio_  was perched on the corner.  
  
"I see that," Harry replied, pushing himself away from the doorframe and closing the door quietly. "Did you run into any trouble?" He noticed that Sirius and Narcissa were also in the office and that Sirius was giving him a curious look, which he ignored.  
  
Draco shrugged. "Not really, although I'm sure that by now Lucius has figured out that I was there and that I am the one responsible for …  _borrowing_  the book." His voice had taken on that drawling quality that Harry used to find absolutely irritating.  
  
"How would Lucius know it was you?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Well, for one thing, I'm the only one besides Lucius himself who could have gotten into the library. And secondly-" here he paused for effect, "-well, let's just say that I had a run-in with one of his portraits."  
  
Narcissa nodded, folding her hands in her lap. "Yes. And I'm sure that by now the portrait has told Lucius everything."  
  
Draco shrugged. "Doesn't really matter now, does it? I got the book, and now we can start working on ending this heat spell. In case you hadn't noticed, it's rather warm in here."  
  
"Indeed," Dumbledore finally said with a grin. "Draco, have a seat, please. Let's have a look at the book."  
  
Draco pushed himself off the desk and sat in the chair next to Narcissa, looking pointedly at the empty seat next to him. Harry sat in a rush, nearly tipping the chair over, and gripped the arms to keep his balance.  
  
Draco coughed. "It's nice to see you, too," he said quietly, and Harry felt himself blush. He hadn't meant to be so obvious.  
  
Dumbledore ignored their exchange, although his eyes were twinkling a bit more than usual. He opened up  _Caligo Devotio_  and turned to a page toward the center.  
  
"Ah," he said, straightening his glasses. "Here it is."  
  
Draco and Harry both sat forward in their chairs.  
  
"You found the spell?" Harry asked. "Is there a countercurse?"  
  
" _Immortalitas Aestas_ ," was Dumbledore's only reply.  
  
"What?" Harry asked. He'd never even heard of such a spell.  
  
" _Immortalitas Aestas_ ," Sirius repeated, nodding slowly. "I think I remember hearing about that. What exactly does it do?"  
  
"Makes it hot, obviously," Draco muttered, humor apparent in his voice.  
  
"Besides that," Sirius responded good-naturedly.  
  
" _Immortalitas Aestas_  was created fifty years ago by Derodus Alagache. It is used to create a concentrated area of heat by placing the charm on the wards of an area."  
  
"Of course!" Sirius exclaimed. "Now it makes perfect sense. Why didn't we think of that?"  
  
Dumbledore held up his hand, continuing to read silently to himself, and Sirius fell silent. "Ah. Here it is. The countercurse."  
  
"Is it complex?" Harry asked.  
  
"A bit difficult, Harry. But it's nothing that our professors here can't handle."  
  
"The professors? Why can't we help, Sir?" Harry asked.  
  
"You two have done more than enough to help us," Dumbledore said firmly. "We will handle this ourselves. Besides, it's getting late, and both of you are now out after hours."  
  
Harry opened his mouth to complain but Draco stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Well then you won't be needing us anymore tonight," Draco said smoothly, standing up.  
  
Harry looked up at him in confusion. Didn't Draco want to help end the spell?  
  
Dumbledore stood up as well. "No, Mr. Malfoy, you're free to go. Thank you, again. Harry, you're free to leave as well. I'm sure both of you are tired after your busy evenings."  
  
There was a glimmer in the old Headmaster's eyes that made Harry a bit suspicious. "Are you sure you don't want us to stay?"  
  
"No, no. Go on. You two no doubt have a lot to catch up on."  
  
Oh.  _Oh_. Harry felt himself blush again and Draco coughed to hide his laughter. Harry stood up quickly.  
  
"All right, well, goodnight then." Harry turned towards the door, bumping into Draco who had moved behind him, and hastily turned the doorknob.  
  
"Goodnight," Draco said to the room at large and followed Harry through the door.  
  
As soon as the door closed, Draco collapsed into laughter.  
  
Harry felt his ears turn red and quickened his pace down the stairs. He was stopped by a sharp tug on the back of his shirt and toppled backwards into Draco, who was still laughing. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and rested his chin on his shoulder.  
  
"You smell like dust," Draco said, turning his head and kissing Harry on the side of his neck.  
  
"You would, too, if you'd had to clean out Snape's storeroom. I've never seen such a mess in my life," Harry told him, a bit grumpily. He paused a moment, lowering his voice. "I made a fool of myself in there."  
  
"Nah, you were just being your noble heroic self," Draco murmured. His grip tightened around Harry, who relaxed into the embrace.  
  
Harry leaned his head against Draco's. "I'm glad you're back, and that you found the book."  
  
"Hmm," Draco said. "Me, too, Harry. Me, too."  
  
***  
  
"So apparently Dumbledore knows about us," Harry whispered to Draco as they walked down the hall.  
  
"It would seem that way, yes," Draco replied with a laugh. The two boys were huddled under Harry's Invisibility Cloak to avoid being seen by Filch or Mrs. Norris, but it was slow going with the two of them. They had to keep pausing to readjust the cloak to keep their feet covered - it wouldn't do to have two sets of feet walking by themselves down the corridor.  
  
It was an unspoken understanding that they were going to Draco's room, as he had the private quarters with less chance of anyone walking in on them.  
  
Draco reached the Slytherin entrance and glanced around before stepping out from under the cloak. "Stay close to me," he whispered to Harry, who nodded even though Draco couldn't see him. Draco spoke the password, the stone wall slid open, and he stepped through and took a few steps forward, hoping Harry had followed him in before the door slid back closed.  
  
As soon as he moved toward the staircase, Pansy jumped up off the sofa where she'd been sitting filling out the forms on the out-of-bed students she'd found during her patrol.  
  
"Draco!" she said, dropping the papers on the floor. "You're back! Are you all right? Is everything okay?"  
  
"Pansy," Draco replied. Pansy threw her arms around him and knocked him backwards a bit with the force. "Hello to you, too."  
  
"Don't give me that, Draco Malfoy. You had me worried sick! Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine, Pansy," he said, returning her embrace. "I had to take care of something for Dumbledore, but I'm back now, and I'm fine. Really."  
  
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I had a run-in with Potter this evening."  
  
Draco could almost hear Harry's head whip around behind him, and fought to keep a straight face. "Did you?"  
  
"Yes. He literally ran into me while I was patrolling, but was nice enough to grab me to keep me from falling."  
  
"Well, Harry does things like that. It's the Gryffindor in him, I think. I hope you were nice to him, Pansy. Harry's not done anything to you, after all."  
  
Pansy waved the statement away. "I was perfectly polite, Draco. He wouldn't tell me where you were, of course, so I got a bit tetchy with him, but really, I was just worried about you. I was concerned that he'd gotten you to go off on some dangerous mission for him when it should be he himself who's taking care of his problems. He shouldn't be sending others into danger. But he did say something interesting which I'm going to have to have a think about."  
  
"What did he say?" Draco asked, but Pansy shook her head. "Okay, don't tell me right now, we'll talk about that later. But think about this, Pansy. Harry can't always take care of everything. I had to do what I did tonight. There was no other choice; no one else could have done it. Now don't ask me anymore," he added when she opened her mouth to complain. "It will all be clear enough tomorrow. Please, just let me go to bed. I'm tired. It's been a long night. I promise you I'm fine."  
  
Pansy looked at him for a moment before nodding. "I'm glad you're back safe, Draco, from wherever you went. I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you." She leaned forward and hugged him once more, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you, you know that, right?"  
  
"I know," Draco said, reaching up a hand and running his thumb along her cheek. "I love you, too. I'm fine. Please don't worry about me. Okay?"  
  
Pansy nodded. "I'll  _try_  not to. Goodnight, Draco."  
  
"Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning. We'll have breakfast together and talk. I'll try to tell you everything I can."  
  
Pansy smiled at him and nodded, before returning to the sofa to scoop up her papers that were scattered all over the floor. Draco watched her walk down the stairs towards her room and waited until he heard her door click shut before speaking.  
  
"You're in here, right Potter? I wouldn't want to leave you out in the corridor all night, after all."  
  
"I'm here," came Harry's voice. Draco felt invisible arms wrap around his middle. "She really cares about you, doesn't she?"  
  
"She does. And I care about her. It's mutual." Draco turned his head in the direction Harry's voice was coming from. It was very strange to be talking to nobody. "I'm sorry if she said anything to make you angry. Pansy's just very protective of me. By the way, what did she say to you?"  
  
"Oh, no. I'm not telling you if she didn't. Anyway, I think she and I have come to a bit of an understanding. It was a very eye-opening conversation at any rate."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow at that but let it go. He'd prod Pansy later until she told him. "Tired?" he finally asked.  
  
Harry sighed. "A bit. But … I don't really feel like sleeping at the moment."  
  
A wicked grin spread across Draco's face. "Oh, I don't think you'll have to worry about sleeping, Harry. At least not yet." And with that, he set across the room, down the steps, and toward his room, with Harry close behind him.  
  
Draco fumbled with his wand before finally being able to cast the spell to unlock his door. It was difficult to think when invisible lips were currently latched onto the side of his neck, but he finally got the door open, just getting through it before shutting it and slamming Harry against it. He reached out to get the cloak off of Harry but it was really disconcerting to not see anyone in front of him even though he knew Harry was there, so Harry finally had to throw it off himself.  
  
"I'm really glad you're okay," Harry whispered, kissing Draco deeply. When they broke apart Draco immediately cast a Locking charm on the door and a Silencing charm on the room. He definitely didn't want there to be any interruptions tonight.  
  
After casting another spell to turn on his bedside lamp, he tossed his wand over onto his nightstand, which skidded across the surface scattering some scraps of parchment onto the floor, before turning his full attention to Harry.  
  
Harry was lounging against the door, looking at him. Draco stepped forward and reached down, sliding one hand under Harry's shirt and using his other to unfasten the three buttons at the top. He pulled the shirt over Harry's head, who coughed once.  
  
"Dust," he said, waving a hand in front of his face. "You should have seen how dirty Snape's storeroom was."  
  
Draco grinned at him and leaned forward again, kissing Harry fully on the lips and sliding a hand up into Harry's hair. Harry still smelled like dust, but the underlying scent of soap and grass clung to him as well, and Draco breathed in deeply, wanting to pull the scent into his memory. Running his hands lightly across Harry's chest, he leaned in for another kiss, their tongues meeting and caressing each other, sliding fluidly against one another.  
  
Harry went to work on the buttons of Draco's shirt, unfastening them and peeling the fabric off his shoulders without breaking the kiss. Harry slid his hands down Draco's torso, and he shivered slightly at the light touch. He trailed his hands down to the waistband of Draco's trousers before going to work on Draco's belt buckle, and Draco broke the kiss to step out of his shoes. The button and zip were undone and Draco's trousers fell to his feet.  
  
Pulling Harry away from the doorframe, Draco made quick work of removing the rest of Harry's clothes before pushing him onto the bed and climbing on top of it himself. He looked down at Harry in the low light from the bedside lamp, letting his eyes glide over his body. Harry, instead of blushing like he had the first time, actually returned his gaze full-on, and Draco grinned at him before draping himself over Harry's body.  
  
There were few words spoken, only touches and caresses and moans and sighs, as each boy told the other just how much he meant to him, and how glad he was that he was safe.  
  
_(end chapter fifteen)_


	16. Chapter 16

The first thing Harry noticed when he awoke, aside from the fact that he was not in his own bed, was that he was freezing. This made him pause for a moment, as it had been a while since he'd even been a bit chilly, before he sat straight up in bed.  
  
"Oh!" he exclaimed, knocking his elbow into something hard, which he noticed through blurry eyes was Draco's head.  
  
"Ouch," Draco mumbled, bringing a hand up to rub the spot where Harry had hit him. "What's got you so excited?" he asked, voice thick with sleep, peering through one eye at Harry, who grinned in response.  
  
"It's cold in here!" Harry said, reaching over Draco to grab his glasses from the nightstand, slipping them on.  
  
Draco sat up then and picked up his wand, muttering, " _Lumos_ ," and looking around the room. The light from his wand was bright enough to show their breath, which was creating small puffs of white in the air. "God, it's fucking  _freezing_  in here!"  
  
Harry grinned even wider, which was made difficult by the fact that his teeth had started to chatter. Draco rolled out of bed and pulled on his dressing gown, quickly tiptoeing across the room to the fireplace.  
  
"The floor feels like ice," he said, pulling his discarded school robe off the back of the chair and flinging it on the ground to stand on. He quickly threw some logs into the grate and muttered, " _Incendio_." The logs crackled loudly as they caught fire, popping and snapping in the quiet room.  
  
Harry, meanwhile, had reached down and picked all the blankets up off the floor and was currently huddled under them, trying to get warm. After replacing the fireplace screen, Draco turned from the mantel and ran back to the bed, catching his toe on one of the table legs in the process.  
  
"Ow, fuck!" he yelled, immediately grabbing his injured foot and hopping back to bed, where he collapsed, a string of rather colorful curses falling from his lips.  
  
Harry tried not to laugh, really he did, but the whole situation just seemed so ridiculous that he couldn't help it.  
  
"Oh, shut it Harry," Draco said mournfully, bringing his foot up to get a closer look at it. "I think it's broken. I'll never be able to walk again." He tilted his head back and glared at Harry. "I hate winter."  
  
At this Harry burst into a fresh peal of laughter. "Oh, Draco, don't exaggerate." He leaned forward and kissed the blond on his temple. "Come on, you'll feel better once you've warmed up."  
  
"Look at you, laughing at me, when all I tried to do was make it warmer in here because you were complaining it was cold. I'm under-appreciated, here." Draco kept looking sideways at Harry while he was talking, obviously wanting sympathy, and Harry refrained from reminding him that it was Draco himself who'd complained he was cold.  
  
"Oh, come on now. Just get under the blankets so you can warm up. Thank you for starting the fire, it's already much warmer in here." Harry pulled back the covers and let Draco snuggle in next to him, then yelped as Draco stuck his very cold feet on Harry's shins.  
  
"Draco, your feet are freezing!"  
  
Draco gave him a very smug grin before casting a charm to warm up the sheets, tossing his wand aside. Harry wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. He slid a hand inside Draco's dressing gown, absently running his fingers very lightly across Draco's stomach, who shivered in response.  
  
"Apparently the heat spell is gone," Harry said after a moment.  
  
Draco turned to face him. "It  _would_  appear that way. Maybe now things can get back to normal."  
  
Harry started to reply, but was interrupted by a knock on the door, which was so loud in the quietness of the room that he jumped.  
  
"Pansy," Draco said slowly.  
  
Harry felt his eyes widen before he bolted out of bed. Draco threw the covers back and shouted, "Just a moment!" before realizing he'd put a Silencing charm on the room and she wouldn't be able to hear him.  
  
"Harry, hide," Draco said unnecessarily, scrambling to pick his wand up off the bedside table. Harry grabbed his Invisibility Cloak off the floor and had just enough time to get himself covered before Draco ended the spells and opened the door, quickly kicking Harry's shorts out of Pansy's line of vision and behind the door. "Good morning, Pansy."  
  
"Did I wake you?" Pansy asked, taking in his rather harried appearance.  
  
Harry saw Draco take a deep breath before replying, "No. I was just going to take a shower. You knocked right as I was about to get in."  
  
"Oh. Well it appears that the heat spell has been lifted, as I'm sure you've noticed. It's absolutely freezing down here." Pansy paused a moment before continuing. "Your room is a mess. What have you been doing in here?"  
  
Harry bit down on his lip to keep from laughing, and tucked himself closer to Draco's wardrobe. He surveyed the room and noticed that Pansy was right - the room was a disaster. There were clothes everywhere, and the blankets that Draco had thrown off himself were hanging off the bed onto the floor. Harry desperately hoped that Pansy couldn't see the scarlet shirt hanging off the table from where she was standing.  
  
Draco coughed, most likely to get his own laughter back under control before replying "Yes, it is quite a mess, isn't it? I … was looking for something."  
  
"Did you find it?" Pansy asked, taking a step into the room to get a better look.  
  
Draco smiled smugly. "I certainly did." He surreptitiously turned his body to block her view of the room.  
  
Harry felt himself blush at Draco's tone and heard Pansy say, "Well, that's good," with a bit of confusion in her voice. It was then that Harry realized he was standing completely nude, wearing only an Invisibility Cloak, in Draco Malfoy's room. Somehow he was certain that this had not been what Dumbledore had meant when he'd said, "Use it well."  
  
Half-listening to Draco and Pansy's conversation, Harry scanned the room for his clothing. He noticed his boxer shorts lying near the end of Draco's bed and started inching his way over to them. Draco ended his conversation, saying he'd meet Pansy at breakfast in an hour, and closed the door.  
  
"Harry?" he whispered. "Where are you?"  
  
Harry didn't answer, instead leaning down to pick his shorts off the floor and put them on. Draco gave a slight laugh, obviously seeing them disappear into thin air, and paused a moment before launching himself at Harry, knocking them both to the floor.  
  
"Ouch, Draco, get off," Harry said as Draco pulled the cloak off of him. Harry rubbed at his elbow, which had collided with the bedpost. Draco shifted his weight, straddling Harry's hips, and grinned.  
  
"Gotcha," he said, leaning down and giving Harry a kiss, momentarily making him forget the pain in his elbow. "You need to get out of here. I'm sure your fellow Gryffindors will be wondering what happened to their Golden Boy."  
  
Harry made a face. "Don't call me that. It sounds like something out of one of Rita Skeeter's headlines."  
  
Draco smiled at him and climbed off, offering Harry a hand and pulling him to his feet. "That's where I got it from. Anyway, I told Pansy I'd meet her in a bit at breakfast, so let's get you out of here."  
  
Harry nodded and picked up the rest of his clothing from around the room, putting it on, then slipping his cloak back over his head. He followed Draco out the door and up into the common room. It was empty, so Draco simply opened the door into the hallway and let Harry pass through.  
  
"See you at breakfast," he said quietly.  
  
Harry smiled. "See you." He walked slowly down the hall, hearing the Slytherin door slide back shut. It was very cold in the corridor so Harry quickened his step. He could definitely use a hot shower this morning.  
  
Once he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry pulled off his cloak. It wouldn't do to have the door to the common room open all by itself, and he was hoping that it was still early enough that no one would be up.  
  
"Oh, where did you come from?" the Fat Lady asked sleepily as Harry appeared in front of her.  
  
Harry smiled at her. "Golden snitch."  
  
"Of course, dear," the Fat Lady said as she swung open and Harry scrambled through, scrunching his cloak up into a ball. He looked around and was happy to see that the common room was empty; at the moment his brain was too muddled to try to figure out an excuse about why he was just returning to the tower.   
  
He climbed the stairs to his dormitory slowly, noticing that it had gotten quite cool in the Tower as well, although it was a much more tolerable temperature than the dungeons had been. He opened the door to his room, and stopped in the doorway as he realized that Ron and Hermione were sitting on Ron's bed, apparently waiting for him.  
  
"Harry!" Hermione said quietly, keeping her voice low so she didn't disturb the others who were still sleeping. "Where have you been?"  
  
Harry looked at her and blinked. "Er…." He trailed off, gesturing around with his hands. "Around?" he finished lamely.  
  
"We've been waiting for you to get back! We wanted to make sure everything went all right," Hermione said. "Is Draco back okay?"  
  
"Um … yes. He's fine," Harry said, clearing his throat as he thought about just how "fine" Draco was. "Everything went well, obviously, because it's a lot cooler in here now, in case you hadn't noticed." He grinned at her to let her know he was teasing, and she smiled back.  
  
"Well, good. I'm glad that's out of the way, then." Hermione stood up, straightening out her jumper. "It's nice to get back to normal, isn't it? Or rather, as normal as things ever are around here."  
  
Harry saw Ron roll his eyes and hid a grin behind his hand. "Yes, it is." He walked further into the room and put his cloak inside his trunk, before straightening up.  
  
Hermione gathered up her things; she'd apparently been working on some homework while she waited for him to get back. "Are you coming down to breakfast?"  
  
Harry nodded. "I just need to shower first."  
  
Behind him he heard Seamus stirring, and his head appeared between his curtains. "What's going on in here? Why are you all up already? Did I miss breakfast?" Then, after a brief pause he said, "Hey, it's cold in here!"  
  
Harry laughed. "Yeah. The spell's been lifted."  
  
"Hurrah! Dean, get up you lazy sod, it's not hot anymore!"  
  
Dean opened his curtains and peered out, blinking sleep from his eyes. "What?"  
  
"It's not hot in here anymore, you git! The spell's gone!" At this Seamus leapt out of bed and hugged Hermione, spinning her around in a circle. "We should go for a walk outside in the cold to celebrate!"  
  
Harry shook his head, smiling at Seamus' exuberance, and walked over to his wardrobe to pull out some clothes. Ron had settled back on his bed and was reading  _Quidditch Through the Ages_  again, a smile on his face as he listened to Seamus and Dean celebrate the return of the cool air. They were so loud that they woke Neville, who was nearly pulled out of bed and onto the floor by a dancing Dean.  
  
"I'm going to take a shower!" Harry shouted over their voices. "I'll see you at breakfast in a bit!" Hermione nodded at him, then pulled him close.  
  
"Make sure you thank Draco for me," she said directly in his ear so that the others wouldn't overhear. Harry couldn't help the rather wicked smile that spread over his face, which earned him an outraged, "Harry!" from Hermione and a soft smack on his shoulder. "That is  _not_  what I meant!" she said sternly, but there was a smile on her face.  
  
Harry shrugged his shoulders, which earned him a pair of eyes rolled skywards, and headed out of the dormitory, ducking to avoid Seamus' excited gesture.  
  
Yes indeed, it was nice to have things back to normal.  
  
***  
  
Draco entered the Great Hall and sat down next to Pansy, who was busy working on a crossword puzzle.  
  
"Was the mail here already?" Draco asked, gesturing towards the puzzle before reaching for the bowl of oatmeal in the center of the table.  
  
"No, this one's left over from yesterday. I still haven't managed to figure out some of the clues," Pansy said, glancing quickly at him. "I usually don't have that much trouble with them but this one is a bit more difficult."  
  
Draco shrugged. "What are you stuck on?"  
  
Pansy shook her head. "Oh, no. I don't want any help. It's more satisfying to do it on my own."  
  
Draco smiled at her. "Yes, it is."  
  
The hall was rather empty, no doubt owing to the early hour on a weekend, but those who had come down to breakfast were back to wearing their normal winter clothing. The drastic change in temperature seemed to be the main topic of conversation; everyone seemed very confused at what had caused things to cool back down but most seemed thankful for the switch.  
  
Pansy folded her crossword up and stuck it in her Transfigurations book, which was sitting next to her plate. "You seem to be a hero, Draco, even if people don't realize it."  
  
"What?" Draco's spoon stalled in midair on the way to his mouth.  
  
"You're a hero. You're the one who ended the heat spell, right? So everyone should be thanking you for making their lives a bit more bearable."  
  
"I didn't end the spell, Pansy. The professors did that. I just got the book with the spell and counter-curse in it."  
  
"What do you mean you 'got the book'? Where did you go last night? And don't shake your head at me, Draco," she said as he did just that. "You told me you'd give me answers and I want those answers now. Where did you go last night?"  
  
Draco sighed, setting his spoon down with a clatter. "I went back to the Manor."  
  
"What? Was that Dumbledore's idea? Or was it Potter's? It was probably Potter's, wasn't it? I  _told_  you he always makes others do his job."  
  
"It wasn't Harry's idea, Pansy," he told her with a bit of annoyance in his voice. "Harry didn't want me to go, but I had to. I was the only one who could get in and get the book. So there. That's where I was last night. At the Manor. But as you can see I'm fine so please don't get so upset about it. Everything's fine."  
  
Pansy huffed. "Everything had better be fine, Draco. If it's not, I'll-" She cut off as it became obvious that Draco was ignoring her.  
  
Draco was, in fact, staring across the Great Hall, where a freshly-showered Harry had just entered with Hermione and Weasley. He was wearing one of his usual Weasley jumpers and jeans, and his hair was wet and curled slightly above his ears. Draco felt his mouth go dry, then winced as Pansy kicked him in the leg.  
  
"For heaven's sake, Draco, close your mouth. He's not  _that_  gorgeous."  
  
Draco's jaw snapped shut and he turned to face Pansy, eyebrow arching. "Not  _that_  gorgeous? Do you have something to tell me?"  
  
Pansy rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up. I already told you I thought he was good-looking. He's just not good-looking enough to cause my jaw to drop open or to cause me to make a fool out of myself. Which, might I add, is what he does to you."  
  
Draco laughed. "Point taken."  
  
Blaise sat down next to him then, immediately reaching for the bowl of oatmeal and putting some in the bowl in front of him. "Morning. Strange weather we're having, isn't it?" He opened up an old leather-bound blue book and began reading, taking bites of his oatmeal while his eyes scanned the pages.  
  
Draco nodded before returning to his food, occasionally glancing up to once again look at Harry. He was seated between Hermione and Weasley, both of whom seemed to be asking him questions at once. Harry caught his eye and winked and Draco grinned in response. Pansy cleared her throat, and Draco looked at her guiltily.  
  
"Why don't you just go over there and talk to him instead of making eyes at him from across the hall?" She sounded more amused then anything, but Draco scowled at her.  
  
"I was not 'making eyes' at anyone, Pansy."  
  
"Right," she replied, not believing him one bit. "Whatever you say."  
  
Draco reached around her and snatched her Transfigurations book. "Hush. I'm trying to read."  
  
Pansy laughed at that, grabbing her crossword out from between the pages. "Yeah. And I'm auditioning for a play in London tomorrow."  
  
Draco sighed pointedly and opened to chapter sixteen, which they were supposed to have read for class on Monday.  
  
"I've got it!" Blaise suddenly shouted, standing up so quickly he nearly fell over the bench, earning him looks from all around the Great Hall. "I've figured it out!"  
  
Draco looked up at him, as did Pansy, and asked, "What?"  
  
"I've figured it out, Draco! The spell! I've figured out how to do it!" He pulled Draco to his feet. "I can't believe it took me so long! This is so simple!" He was waving his blue book around wildly and Draco ducked to avoid being hit in the face.  
  
"How can we do it?" someone asked from behind Draco, and Draco spun around to see Harry standing there. "How can we make it work?"  
  
"Our rings!" Blaise said, shoving his hand under Harry's nose. "See? We all have them. And Tracey and I figured out ages ago that we just needed an object to use to center the spell. So we can use our rings! That way it's an object that we all have that's always with us!"  
  
Harry tilted his head and looked at Blaise's ring, which was still in front of his face. "I like it," he announced, and Blaise jumped around happily. "Let's call an emergency  _Adversarius_  meeting today. Is three o'clock all right? That will give you and Tracey enough time to test it out to make sure it works."  
  
"Three o'clock, that's great Potter. I've got to go wake Tracey up; she's probably still sleeping. Oh, and whatever you did to make the heat go away is bloody fantastic. I thought I'd never be cool again." Blaise rushed by them and out of the Great Hall without waiting for Harry's response; Draco heard his feet hitting the floor before the doors closed.  
  
Harry blinked. "Well. Seems like things are progressing nicely, wouldn't you say?"  
  
Draco had been staring after Blaise but snapped his attention back to Harry at that, and sure enough, Harry was smirking slightly. "Yes," Draco finally said after a moment. "They are. In all regards."  
  
Harry grinned at him. "Right. Do you have time before the meeting this afternoon? I have some things to go over with you about your potion."  
  
Draco, knowing that Harry did not have any questions about his potion, was surprised with how easily the lie came out of Harry's mouth, but hid it, saying instead, "Of course. I'm free right now, actually."  
  
"You are not," Pansy interjected. "You haven't eaten breakfast yet. You can't run off without eating something more than your one bite of oatmeal."  
  
Draco looked down at her. She was staring at him with a rather stern expression on her face and Draco decided that if he wanted any time alone with Harry today he'd better do as she asked; she obviously hadn't yet forgiven him for not telling her about his trip to the Manor.  
  
"Yes, mother," he finally said, and she  _tsk_ ed in annoyance before pointing to the bench. Draco sat, much to Harry's amusement, who couldn't help the laugh that escaped before he coughed to try to cover it up.  
  
"Okay, well, I'll see you after breakfast, then. Does the library sound all right?"  
  
Draco nodded, ignoring the bowl that Pansy purposely shoved into his hand. "That's fine. See you in a bit."  
  
Harry smiled again, and nodded at Pansy. "See you later as well, Pansy."  
  
"Potter," she replied, handing Draco his spoon before returning to her crossword once again.  
  
"What was that all about?" Draco murmured, obligingly taking a bite of his oatmeal after reheating it with a quick spell.  
  
"You need to stop rushing off with him like that. People are starting to get suspicious. Like me." She pinned him with her gaze. "Just what  _is_  going on between you two?"  
  
Rather than answering Draco shoved a huge bite of oatmeal in his mouth, using the time it took to chew and swallow to think of a suitable answer. Even then nothing that sounded good had come to mind, so he simply stared at her.  
  
"Draco, I know you care about him. That much is  _very_  obvious. And I'm pretty sure that he likes you as well. But you're spending nearly every waking minute with him, which makes me think that whatever it is between the two of you is rather serious, and I just want to know if that's true. I don't like being left in the dark."  
  
Draco opened his mouth to respond, then shut it. Well. Leave it to Pansy to get right to the point.  
  
"We're … we're, well…." Draco stopped. He and Harry were what? Boyfriends? He winced at the sound of that. He supposed he could simply say they were shagging, but even that wasn't quite true. Together? Yes, he supposed they were together, but then Pansy would want to know what that entailed and he wasn't sure he was ready to tell her. His and Harry's relationship, for that's really what it was, was supposed to be something Draco could keep to himself for a while, something he didn't really want to share with everyone. But he supposed that Pansy had really been patient with him to this point and he did owe her something. He just wasn't sure exactly what to say.  
  
At his indecision Pansy seemed to come to a realization and held up her hand to stop him from speaking. "Nevermind," she said quietly. "You'll tell me when you're ready, like you always do. I didn't mean to push. I just … are you happy? Really happy? Because that's all I really want, is for you to be happy in whatever you're doing."  
  
Draco sighed and closed his eyes. "Yes. I'm happy. At least as happy as I can be, I think." He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "I'm lucky to have you, you know."  
  
Pansy nodded once. "Yes, you really are. And don't forget it. Now eat your breakfast."  
  
Draco laughed but did as she asked. Yes indeed, he was lucky to have her, and was lucky that she cared so much about him that she was worried about the things he did, even if it was a bit overwhelming or irritating at times.  
  
"Aha!" Pansy exclaimed. "I figured out the clue. It's 'friendship'. Rather fitting, actually, wouldn't you say?"  
  
Draco could do nothing but nod in response, and pulled her in for a hug.  
  
_(end chapter sixteen)_


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **This chapter contains adult situations that may not be suitable for all readers. Reader discretion is advised.**

Draco opened the door to the library and scanned the room for Harry. He didn't see him, which meant that he was most likely at one of the more secluded tables in the back, and that suited him just fine.  
  
He smiled in greeting at Madam Pince, who frowned slightly and watched him with suspicion, no doubt thinking he was up to no good. Draco fought to keep a straight face, knowing that she was probably right.  
  
He veered around the librarian's counter and headed towards the back of the library, ignoring a trio of Hufflepuff girls, who were watching him avidly and giggling into their hands, and side-stepping a Ravenclaw who decided at that moment to get up from his seat.  
  
He walked down one of the aisles and finally spotted Harry in the farthest corner of the library. Draco stopped and simply stared; it was nice to be able to watch the other boy without anyone noticing or making comments. Harry was sitting at a table with one of his feet tucked under him, head resting in his hand, quill moving quickly over the roll of parchment in front of him. He had several books open on the table and was pausing every once in a while to search through them. Harry's hair had finally dried, and was back to its usual messy style, helped along by the hand he shoved through it as he sighed in irritation.  
  
"Well, are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to sit down?"  
  
Draco jumped slightly at Harry's voice, mentally shaking himself. He hadn't realized that Harry had noticed his presence.  
  
Harry turned around in his chair and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, smirking slightly, and Draco rolled his eyes in response before sitting down across from him, slinging his bag to the floor.  
  
"What are you working on?" Draco asked, leaning forward to grab one of the books.  
  
"History of Magic," Harry replied, reaching across the table and seizing Draco's wrist to keep him from closing the book. "Don't lose my page."  
  
Draco nodded, and laid the book back down, making sure it stayed open to the page Harry needed. "How much more do you need to write?"  
  
Harry didn't answer for a moment, continuing to write on the parchment, mouth reciting the words he was inking. His quill stopped moving and he tilted his head to the side, eyeing the essay in front of him. "I need about four more inches, I think. Have you started on yours?"  
  
Draco smiled slightly. "Of course. It's nearly finished. I just have a few more sentences to add to my conclusion."  
  
Harry nodded again, attention once again on his essay. "You're welcome to use my books," he added absently, frowning slightly as he reread what he'd written, then crossed out a word.  
  
Draco reached down into his bag and pulled out his parchment, reaching for the blue book Harry had set to the side, and marking the page it was opened to before turning to the index to find what he needed. The two boys continued to work in silence, the pages of the books turning and the scratch of their quills the only sounds in their quiet corner. Draco finished first, and glanced up to see Harry engrossed in a heavy tome, finger skimming the page in front of him as he searched for information. Blowing on the ink in front of him, Draco used the time to study Harry more closely.  
  
Harry seemed to be more well-rested than previously; the circles that had been under his eyes had faded slightly and his face wasn't as pale or drawn. Draco let his eyes travel down the rest of Harry that was visible over the table, down the green jumper and over his arms, settling on Harry's right hand. It was gripping his quill tightly as it moved along the parchment, writing in somewhat messy penmanship. It paused and Draco lifted his head, wondering if Harry had noticed him staring, but Harry was once again looking at the book he was balancing with his other hand, apparently oblivious to Draco's attention.  
  
Draco rolled his essay up and placed it carefully in his bag. As he rooted around for his Potions book, his attention was once again grabbed by his companion, who had shifted in his seat and was unfolding his leg from underneath him. The legs stretched out and Draco felt his mouth go dry at the bit of skin this move uncovered between his jumper and jeans, which was covered up quickly as Harry tugged the jumper down. Suddenly a book snapped shut and Draco jumped at the sound, banging his head on the underside of the table.  
  
He swallowed the curse he wanted to yell, and sat up in his chair, rubbing his head. Harry was looking at him with amusement, and Draco frowned at him.  
  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "Right."  
  
Harry gave him a stunning grin and Draco felt a flutter in his stomach, ignoring the voice in his head that sounded very much like Pansy telling him to stop acting so ridiculous.  
  
"Did you finish your essay, then?" Draco finally asked. "Have you got any other homework?"  
  
Harry nodded, before rolling up his parchment. "I have an essay for McGonagall that's due on Wednesday, but I'm nearly finished with it. Why?"  
  
Draco felt a smile slide slowly across his face, and his silence drew Harry's attention, who glanced up with a questioning look before laughing at the lascivious grin.   
  
"Ah," was Harry's only response, before he stood and began gathering up the books in front of him. "Did you need any of these or have you finished with them?"  
  
Draco shook his head in response, pointedly looking Harry up and down, who rolled his eyes.  
  
"Right. I'll just put these away, then." Harry walked away, balancing the large pile of books in his arms, and Draco stood and followed him.  
  
Harry stopped in front of the shelves labeled "History of Magic" and stood up on tiptoe to place one of the heavier volumes on a top shelf. Draco watched, mesmerized, as the movement caused Harry's jumper to rise again, before shaking his head and casting a quick look around. No one was near, so he stepped up to Harry and wrapped his arms around him, purposely sliding his hands along Harry's sides.  
  
"Draco," Harry said quietly, jumping at his touch and nearly unseating the book from the shelf. "Someone could see us…." His voice trailed off, though, as Draco leaned forward and kissed the nape of his neck.  
  
"And?" Draco asked, sliding his hands further under Harry's clothes.  
  
"I have to put these away," Harry said weakly, although he leaned into Draco, allowing him to touch. Draco grinned, turning his head to kiss the spot below Harry's ear that he knew drove the other boy crazy, and received a quiet groan in response.  
  
"So put them away," Draco murmured, tongue sneaking out to tease. "I'm not stopping you."  
  
Harry laughed shakily. "Right," he repeated. He managed to get one more book on the shelves in front of him before giving up and turning in Draco's arms, kissing him fully on the mouth, books sliding to the floor forgotten. He wrapped one hand in Draco's hair, gripping tightly, and slid the other underneath Draco's shirt, pressing it against his back.  
  
Draco broke the kiss, taking a deep breath. "You make me want to do wicked things to you, Harry," he whispered, removing Harry's glasses and placing them on a shelf behind his head, before kissing him again. Harry laughed slightly at that, which turned into another groan as Draco pulled their bodies flush together.  
  
"Oh, God, Draco," Harry said, both hands clutching at Draco's shirt, no doubt causing wrinkles in the fabric. His breath came out in a hiss as Draco lowered his head and slid his tongue along Harry's jaw before lowering further and licking along his neck, causing his skin to feel tight as the wetness dried. Harry tilted his head back, resting it on the shelf behind him, to give Draco better access, and Draco obliged by placing a series of kisses down his neck and into the hollow of his throat, sliding his hand down until it came in contact with the waistband of Harry's jeans.  
  
Draco pulled back to give another look around before undoing the button of Harry's jeans and sliding his hand under the fabric. Harry gave a groan, which he quickly silenced by biting his bottom lip, wide green eyes meeting Draco's grey.  
  
"Draco…." He trailed off as Draco's hand closed around him, eyes closing quickly and hand tightening once again in the blond hair, biting his lip again to keep quiet.  
  
Draco lowered his head and kissed Harry then, swallowing Harry's gasp and moans as Draco's hand moved over him quickly. Draco could tell that Harry was close to the edge, but suddenly those green eyes opened and Draco noticed a rather devilish glint in them, before choking off a gasp of his own as Harry's free hand cupped him through his trousers.  
  
"Let's see who can be quieter," Harry whispered into Draco's ear, breath catching on the last word as Draco's hand squeezed in response.  
  
The two boys moved together, completely oblivious that they were, indeed, in the library and that anyone who needed a book about History of Magic could easily stumble upon them. Draco kissed Harry again, Harry's moan rumbling through Draco's chest, as he finally fell over the edge, one hand clinging to the back of Draco's neck and the other continuing to move, trying to bring Draco to completion as well.  
  
"Come for me, Draco," Harry said into Draco's ear, running his tongue over the lobe before pulling it into his mouth and biting gently.  
  
That was all Draco needed, and he felt himself fall, Harry's hand grasping tightly onto his shirt to keep them both upright.  
  
They stayed that way for a moment, Draco leaning against Harry, who was trapped against the bookshelf, waiting for their breathing to return to normal.  
  
"Fuck, Draco," Harry finally muttered, turning his eyes to look at the blond.  
  
"Now's not exactly the place, Harry," Draco murmured in response, watching with delight as Harry blushed.  
  
"Right," Harry said again, running a hand through his hair before he muttered a Cleaning charm. "Straighten yourself up, for God's sake. Someone could be along here at any time."  
  
"That didn't seem to bother you five minutes ago," Draco said smugly, and Harry rolled his eyes in response as he fastened his jeans.  
  
"Yes, well, I'm thinking a bit more clearly now, after all."  
  
Draco was about to retort when a voice behind him made him jump and spin away quickly.  
  
"There you two are! I've been looking for you, Harry."  
  
Harry smiled feebly at Hermione, who was bearing down on them. "Hi, Hermione." Harry coughed, and Draco fought to straighten his clothes out. "You found me."  
  
She  _tsk_ ed at them, taking in their appearances. Both were flushed and breathing slightly heavier than normal, and Draco was still struggling to get his shirt tucked back into his waistband. She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you two. Someone could have seen you. And look what you've done to those books!"   
  
Harry laughed before leaning down to pick up the jumble of books that were the cause of Hermione's consternation while Draco tried to smooth his hair back into place.  
  
"Well no one did," Draco replied in response to Hermione's first statement, bending down to gather up the remaining books.  
  
Hermione sighed and shook her head in response, turning her attention to her housemate. "Harry, I was wondering if you'd finished with the  _Encyclopedia of Spells_. I need to borrow it to finish my Transfiguration essay, as it's the only book I can find that lists all the spells I want to talk about."  
  
Harry shook his head. "I'm not finished with it quite yet, but you're welcome to it. I can just get it back from you when you're done with your essay, as I'm sure you'll finish before I will."  
  
Hermione  _hmm_ ed before hefting a large red book from the floor. "You're probably right," she finally said, wiping the cover off gently and placing it carefully on the shelf. "I know you told Blaise we'd meet at three to go over his breakthrough on the  _Contego_  spell, but Dumbledore pulled me aside after you'd left the Great Hall. He wants us to meet at one o'clock instead."  
  
"Okay," Harry said. "Will Dumbledore be there for the meeting?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "I think something must have happened, Harry. He looked really worried, which is odd for him. I wonder what he wants to tell us."  
  
Harry shook his head. "I don't know, but whatever it is it's probably not good. Tell everyone about the change of time for the meeting. I'm going to look over what we've figured out so far and see if I can get some idea of what's going on. With the heat spell being broken I'm sure it's only a matter of time before something else happens."  
  
"I will, Harry. And I'll be there to help you go over things as soon as I've finished letting everyone know when to meet. Two sets of eyes are better than one, after all."  
  
"Three," Draco interjected, looking over at Hermione. "I want to help, too."  
  
Harry smiled at Draco while Hermione simply nodded. "Of course," she said. "I'll see you both in a bit. Where do you want to meet? In the Prefect Lounge?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "No, let's just go ahead and meet here, at that very back table. I have some of the notes and maps with me here already. Besides, I think Blaise and Tracey are going to be using the Lounge to practice their new idea for the  _Contego_  spell, and I'd rather not have to talk over them or interrupt them."  
  
Hermione nodded. "Okay. I'll be back in a little bit, then."  
  
Harry watched her walk away, then leaned over and gave Draco a short kiss. "Let's get to it."  
  
***  
  
When Harry entered the Prefect Lounge later that day, he saw at once that this meeting was going to be much more serious than any of the previous ones.  
  
Dumbledore was standing in front of the newly-lit fireplace, the silver stars embroidered into his blue robes sparkling in the firelight. There were several members of the Order of the Phoenix present as well. Harry saw Sirius and Professor Lupin talking quietly to each other; both were wearing worried expressions.  
  
"Wotcher, Harry," said a voice behind him. Turning, Harry saw Tonks entering the room, her hair its usual shade of violently bright pink.  
  
"Hello, Tonks," Harry replied with a brief smile. It had been a while since he'd seen Tonks, as she was generally required to stay at the Ministry.  
  
"Feels rather ominous in here, doesn't it?" she asked, stepping aside as Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room.  
  
"Yes," Harry replied. He didn't like seeing the nervous faces of the Order members at all.  
  
Just then Dumbledore held up his hands. "Will everyone please take a seat? We've had a development that requires immediate attention."  
  
Harry moved to sit next to Ron and Hermione, who were already seated in their usual spots on the sofa. He left some space for Draco as well, who'd just entered the room with Pansy.  
  
"Has he said anything yet?" Draco asked as he sat down. Harry shook his head, but was cut off by Dumbledore, who spoke again.  
  
"After consulting the maps that Miss Granger and Miss Parkinson showed us the last time we were together, we feel that we know with almost one-hundred percent certainty what Voldemort's next move will be." Dumbledore waited a moment to let the inevitable winces at the Dark Lord's name subside before continuing. "We believe that his next move will be to strike the Ministry of Magic."  
  
"Why?" Ron asked, voicing the question that all the other students were thinking. Harry caught his eye and gave him a small smile.  
  
"Because there is something there that Voldemort wants. Something he feels he must have before he can proceed with his plans."  
  
"What is it, Sir?" Harry asked, leaning forward to get a better view of the Headmaster.  
  
"I cannot say, Harry. All you and the others need to know is that Voldemort is determined to possess this particular object and will not rest until it is his. I will explain more as I am able, so please do not ask me any other questions."  
  
Harry leaned back against the sofa with a sigh, a frown clear on his face. "I'm confused, Sir, why you called us all here then, if you're not going to tell us anything?" Harry tried to keep his voice light but couldn't help the tinge of frustration that colored his words.  
  
"Because, Harry. Should Voldemort succeed in gaining the object he seeks, his next move will most likely bring him here to Hogwarts."  
  
_And me_ , Harry thought to himself, ignoring the worried look Hermione gave him.  
  
"The Order is of course going to do its best to ensure that Voldemort does not achieve his goal, and is finally going to have Ministry support to help us. Minister Fudge is going to make a formal announcement later this evening regarding what everyone already knows: Voldemort is back. He's also going to give reasons as to why the Ministry took so long to release the information-"  
  
"Other than 'he's an idiot'?" Sirius cut in. Harry, along with several others, laughed.  
  
"-and will no doubt say he did it for the morale of the Wizarding World," Dumbledore continued, smiling at Sirius.  
  
"Does that mean we'll have more Aurors on our side, Professor?" Hermione asked, clearly worried about any impending attacks.  
  
"Yes, Hermione," he replied. "And let us hope it will be enough."  
  
Harry frowned again at this, knowing that there was a lot Dumbledore was keeping from them - particularly him - and not liking it one bit.  
  
"It seems we're coming to it at last," Dumbledore said after a moment. "While the Order and the Ministry officials work together to stop Voldemort's attack on the Ministry, I need everyone here at Hogwarts to work to ensure every possible safety measure is put into place to protect the school and its students. So while I speak privately with the members of the Order, the rest of you can start that by turning our attention to Miss Davis and Mr. Zabini, who have at last found a way to sustain their  _Contego_  spell."  
  
Blaise and Tracey moved up to where Dumbledore had been standing; Dumbledore took a spot at the rear of the room. Blaise cleared his throat.  
  
"Right. Well, as I mentioned last time, what we needed to finally be able to use  _Contego_  was an object to focus the spell through. Conveniently, each of us has that in the form of the rings that we all wear on our wand hands."  
  
There were murmurs around the room as each member of the  _Adversarius_  looked down at the silver rings on their fingers. Blaise waited to continue until everyone was again silent.  
  
"Tracey and I have already practiced this several times today and each time it worked perfectly." Harry hid a smile at the arrogance coloring the other boy's words; sometimes Blaise sounded so much like Draco that Harry had long ago decided that it was perhaps a Slytherin thing. "Obviously," Blaise continued, "we've had more experience working with the spell than the rest of you, which is why we were able to cast  _Contego_  so easily. The rest of you will have to learn the components of the spell first, so it is going to take some work, but I think we can all agree that the end outcome makes any work worthwhile."  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement. Harry, especially, having experienced the  _Cruciatus_  curse firsthand, knew he never wanted to feel that way again.  
  
Tracey spoke then. "What we're going to do is divide everyone into two groups. Blaise will work with one group and I'll work with the other. We won't actually get into casting the spell today at all; the component stuff, as Blaise mentioned, has to be learned first. So I'll take Lavender, Ron, Mandy, Morag, Susan, Ernie, and Terry, and everyone else will work with Blaise."  
  
"Let's get started," Blaise said, and everyone moved into their groups, Ron grumbling slightly at not being able to work with Harry and Hermione. Instead of joining Blaise, though, Harry sought out Dumbledore, who was talking with Mad-Eye Moody.  
  
"Sir," Harry began, knowing Dumbledore was probably once more going to refuse to tell him anything but also knowing he had to try, "what is it that Voldemort is after? Does it have anything to do with me?"  
  
Dumbledore looked at Harry through his half-moon spectacles with a very serious expression. "I think we both know, Harry, that it does."  
  
"Then why won't you tell me what's going on, Sir?" Harry asked, again trying to keep the frustration he was feeling from showing in his voice. He noticed Mad-Eye was listening intently and ignored him; this was between himself and the Headmaster.  
  
"As I said before, Harry, I cannot do so at this time."  
  
Harry fought the urge to stamp his feet. "But will you tell me?"  
  
Dumbledore was silent for so long that Harry was sure he was going to say no, and was therefore very surprised at his response. "Yes, Harry. I will tell you everything." He held up his hand to cut off Harry's reply. "In time, Harry. In time, I will tell you everything."  
  
"You've been saying that for years," Harry replied, somewhat bitterly. "I think, seeing as whatever this is, it involves me, that I have a right to know what is going on."  
  
"Yes you do," Dumbledore replied. "You are right that I have most likely kept some facts from you for far too long. I will try to rectify that as soon as I can. But I cannot tell you what Voldemort seeks. Please try to understand that doing so might jeopardize any chance of surprise we may have, and might also jeopardize the lives of those we hold dear."  
  
Harry looked around the room at the other Order members, at Sirius and Lupin, at Narcissa, and at the students. He watched Ron reciting the spell for the  _Contego_  shield, Hermione leaning forward in her chair to make sure she caught every word Blaise was saying, and Draco, who was looking straight at him and not listening to Zabini at all. He knew he could never risk putting them in more danger than they were in already, and sighed, turning back to Dumbledore, who was watching him carefully.  
  
"I understand, Sir," Harry said resignedly.  
  
"I thought you might. Nonetheless, please meet me in my office tonight. I will tell you as much as I can, and only what I can. It will have to be enough, Harry, do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, Sir. What time should I be there?"  
  
"Let's make it seven o'clock, just after dinner. We're going to set up a wireless in the Great Hall so that everyone can listen to the Minister's official announcement. I'm sure you're feeling as anxious to hear it as I am."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes at this, earning a smile from the Headmaster. "I'll see you then, Professor."  
  
As he sat down at the table, choosing the chair between Draco and Hermione that had conveniently been left open, he was so focused on Dumbledore's words that he didn't hear Blaise's comment.  
  
Harry's head snapped up. "Sorry?"  
  
"I said, 'it was nice of you to join us'. Now that you're here we can finally get started. I already went over the basics of the spell, like what it will do and feel like, and in order to get through all the information today I'm afraid I can't waste time going back and covering it again, so you'll have to ask someone what you missed."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes again but refrained from commenting. He felt Draco looking at him, so turned to meet his gaze.  
  
"Did he tell you anything?" Draco whispered, as Blaise had once again started talking to the group, this time focusing on what it would take to cast the spell.  
  
Harry shook his head. "Not yet. He said he will 'in time', whatever that means. He's been telling me that for years. But I am meeting with him tonight to at least get some facts on things, although he once again didn't tell me what. So we'll see."  
  
Draco nodded, holding his gaze for a moment longer before turning his attention back to Blaise, who had conjured a chart and was writing down the spell components. Although Harry was curious about whatever it was that Dumbledore was going to tell him, he knew that what Blaise was saying at this moment was more important, and so cleared his mind of all thoughts of what the Headmaster was hiding.  
  
Harry was very impressed as he listened to Blaise. The  _Contego_  spell wasn't just a small idea; it was amazingly complicated, in fact, and Harry knew it had taken them ages to simply figure out how to go about creating it. Seeing it all drawn out on the chart in front of him gave Harry even more respect for the two Slytherins. It was apparent that they'd poured their heart and soul into every step.  
  
"All in all, this spell is very complex and takes a lot of focus and energy to cast correctly. This won't be like anything most of you have ever cast before, and as such we're going to take it in small steps. We're going to start with practicing the activation spell - without wands, of course - and then will work on the wand movement. Once I'm sure you have that down perfectly, we'll work on trying to cast the actual spell." Blaise looked at the students around the table. "Does anyone have any questions yet?"  
  
Hermione's hand shot up, as Harry knew it would. "How did you two figure all this out? It's really very complex and must have taken quite a lot of work."  
  
Harry tuned Blaise's response out, turning again to look at Draco, who was watching Blaise with a hint of a smirk.  
  
"What's so funny?" Harry whispered. Draco gave a slight laugh in response.  
  
"Oh, it's Blaise. He just loves having everyone's attention and praise. Granger better be careful; she's going to give him an even bigger ego than he already has."  
  
"Must be a Slytherin trait," Harry replied blandly.  
  
Draco smirked again. "Yes, I think you're right."  
  
Harry laughed softly before again focusing on Blaise, who was now going over the spell's pronunciation.  
  
The rest of the meeting passed quickly. Harry felt confident that he'd learned all the basics, and had already read over the information he'd missed as Hermione had, of course, written everything down. The wand movement for the spell was just as complex as the rest of it; there was no simple "swish and flick" but instead a very difficult design that had to be "drawn" in the air. While this was not ideal, as it meant taking a bit of time to bring the shield up, it was definitely better than the alternative, which was having no shield at all.  
  
By the time they were finished going over the spell, Dumbledore and the Order had left. Harry stood and held his hand up to get everyone's attention.  
  
"We're going to hold the next meeting in the Room of Requirement, as that's the best place I can think of to practice the actual casting of the spell. If you're not sure how to enter the Room, or where to find it, please see either Hermione or me and we'll walk you through the process. Let's go ahead and meet tomorrow night at seven o'clock. We'll work until ten and then continue to meet throughout the week until everyone is able to cast the spell. If there are no questions, you're free to go. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Everyone got up then and gathered up their things. Harry watched them leave, noticing that Draco had yet to leave his seat, but remaining silent until they were alone.  
  
"You're worried again," Draco finally said. Harry sighed.  
  
"I'm worried about a lot of things, actually," he finally said. "I'm worried about what's going to happen at the Ministry. I'm worried about what Dumbledore is hiding from us. I'm worried about how we're going to protect the school and the students, and I'm worried about the people I love once again being put straight in harm's way."  
  
Draco stood then and wrapped him in a hug. "I'm worried about those same things, Harry. But all we can do is just work to make sure everything is as protected as it can be, and worry about Voldemort as he makes his moves. We need to start thinking of ways to keep him out of the school, and to keep the students - especially the younger ones - protected and safe."  
  
Harry pulled back and looked at Draco. "You're being so sensible about all of this."  
  
"Well, I've been told that I have a rather calculating way of looking at things. You, on the other hand, feel them with your heart first. A Gryffindor trait, I think," he said, mirroring what Harry had said to him earlier.  
  
Harry smiled and nodded. "I think you're right. Maybe there's some sort of protection spell we can put on the students. Something that will make it so only they can enter the school. I'll have Hermione look in the library; for all I know she could already know of such a thing. But we'll have to act fast. From the sound of things, Voldemort is planning on attacking the Ministry any day now, which means we may not have much time before he attacks here. There's so much to do," he added softly, closing his eyes. Draco leaned down and kissed him.  
  
"We'll get it done," Draco said matter-of-factly. "We'll get it done because we simply have no other choice."  
  
Harry sighed again before wrapping his arms more tightly around Draco. The two boys stood there for several minutes before Harry finally pulled back. "Dinner is soon. We should get back to our common rooms so that we can drop off our things before we eat. We have the Minister's announcement to listen to, after all, and then I've got that meeting with Dumbledore."  
  
"Will you tell me what he says?" Draco asked, leaning down to pick up his bag.  
  
Harry nodded. "As much as I can. I doubt I'm really going to hear all that much myself."  
  
Draco pulled Harry close for another kiss, then let him go, holding the door to the Lounge open so that they could walk through. "See you later then," he said, giving a wave before heading off towards the dungeons.  
  
Harry watched him go before setting off to the Tower, mind swirling with the possibilities of what Dumbledore was finally going to tell him, knowing that there was much - too much - that he still didn't know.  
  
***  
  
Fudge's announcement later that evening was met with several pairs of rolled eyes, some not-so-appropriate comments, and a lot of variations of the word "idiot" as the students and staff listened to the wireless.  
  
Fudge apologized several times for not revealing the return of "You-Know-Who" to the public, stating, as Dumbledore had said, that the Ministry felt that doing so would be detrimental to the people's morale and would cause widespread panic.  
  
"Because seeing the Dark Mark in the sky is so uplifting," Harry muttered, causing Ron to grin at him.  
  
Fudge went on to say that the Ministry was fully focused on bringing "You-Know-Who" to justice ("Because of course you can just lock him in Azkaban!" Harry snapped.) and that due to the threat against the Wizarding World new safety precautions were being put into place, which the public would be able to read in tomorrow's issue of the  _Daily Prophet_. Fudge encouraged parents to discuss the situation with their children and to make sure a plan was in place if an emergency should arise.  
  
"Because that will just solve everything!"  
  
"Harry, shh! Were you really expecting him to say anything different? He's made a fool of himself for three years now and has to try to say something that sounds a little intelligent," Hermione said.  
  
Harry fell silent, knowing she was right, but still unable to put his anger at the Minister aside, especially since Fudge and his officials had tried to discredit Harry and Dumbledore at every turn.  
  
Fudge ended his speech by reminding everyone that "You-Know-Who" was very dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances, earning a "No, really?" from Harry and several others around the Great Hall. Fudge added that any suspicious behavior should immediately be reported to the Ministry, and then signed off with another apology.  
  
As the wireless was switched off, the Great Hall was silent for a moment before erupting into noise as everyone started discussing the Minister's speech. Harry, however, remained silent, as he didn't trust himself to stay calm if he tried to say anything about what they'd just listened to.  
  
It was now an hour later and Harry was currently seated in the Headmaster's office, still trying to keep hold of his tongue. Dumbledore was watching him intently from behind his desk, waiting to see if Harry could continue to keep quiet.  
  
He couldn't.  
  
"Sir?" Harry asked, fiddling with the hem of his jumper.  
  
"Yes, Harry?"  
  
"Do people really believe all that garbage about 'protecting the morale of the Wizarding World'?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "No, I don't think they do."  
  
"Good." Harry slumped back in his chair. "Because that was possibly the stupidest thing I've ever heard."  
  
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I would tend to agree."  
  
Harry didn't reply, instead watching the small silver contraptions whirl and spin on Dumbledore's desk. The Headmaster remained quiet as well, until Harry finally had enough and spoke.  
  
"Sir, about why I'm here…."  
  
"Harry, as I told you earlier, I cannot tell you all you want to know yet. But I will try to answer some of your questions, as I know I owe you that after all these years."  
  
"Is the connection I share with Voldemort the reason you can't tell me everything? Are you afraid that he'll find out what you're planning?"  
  
"That is a part of it, Harry, but there is more to it than that. Perhaps it would be better if I simply told you all that I can. You can ask questions once I'm through, although I reserve the right to postpone my answers."  
  
Harry nodded, although he would have preferred to hear everything now. "Yes, Sir."  
  
Dumbledore sat back in his chair and regarded Harry with solemn eyes. "As you know, Voldemort took a special interest in you when you were a baby. The reason for this is one of those things you'll have to wait to hear at a later date, of course, but needless to say Voldemort has not forgotten how important he once thought you were, and still thinks you are."  
  
Harry frowned, and was about to interrupt when Dumbledore held up his hand.  
  
"One moment, Harry. Let me finish. What I can tell you is this: the object in the Ministry is something that Voldemort believes may give him a way to defeat you, or will at least give him an advantage in a one-on-one duel. It is my belief that he is mistaken, but why I believe this is yet another thing I cannot tell you.  
  
"As you know, when Voldemort tried to kill you all those years ago, parts of him were transferred into you. It is this transfer of powers, so to speak, that lets you see what he's feeling if he's feeling something strongly enough. It is my belief that, as of yet, Voldemort is unaware of the connection he shares with you, but I fear that the longer you experience your visions the more likely he is to discover the connection, and I do not want to put you or anyone else in danger should this occur. This is why I cannot explain everything to you until it becomes absolutely necessary, as it will if Voldemort succeeds in gaining the object from the Ministry. If he fails it will mean the object has been destroyed or is now in the hands of the Order, at which point it won't prove as big of a threat and more information can be given to you."  
  
"But even if he fails, won't telling me still be a risk, if you think he can somehow read my thoughts?"  
  
"It would generally mean this, this is true. However, we're working on something that should not only help end your visions but also close the connection between Voldemort's mind and your own. Once we succeed, there will be no danger in telling you anything because there will be no way for Voldemort to get the information."  
  
"What are you working on? Or is that yet another thing I'm not able to know yet?" Harry tried yet again to keep the anger out of his voice, and once again failed.  
  
"I know this is hard for you, Harry," Dumbledore replied.   
  
"Yeah, you keep saying that, Sir, and yet you still won't tell me anything that I don't already know in some form." Harry stood up then and started pacing around the room, ignoring the portraits of the former Headmasters, who were awake and watching with avid interest from their frames, some not too impressed with the way Harry was behaving.  
  
"Harry, all you need to know right now is that we're working to try to find a way to close the connection between yourself and Voldemort and once we do so I'll tell you anything you want to know. But you must give us time to make the proper arrangements, and you must also remember that you are not the only one affected by what I am going to tell you."  
  
Harry threw himself back down into his chair with a sigh, knowing that he was behaving rather childishly and not being able to help himself. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I'm just frustrated."  
  
"You have reasons for being frustrated, Harry, and I understand that much of the frustration is directed at me. But for now I must ask you to please stop thinking about Voldemort and what may or may not be at the Ministry and instead focus on ways to protect the school and its students. I understand that you're looking for a charm that will ensure only the students and staff be allowed into Hogwarts?"  
  
Harry looked up at the Headmaster, wondering yet again how he always seemed to know what was going on. "Yes. Do you know of any spell like that?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded towards an old book on the corner of his desk. "I think you'll find what you're looking for in there. And with that, I think we'll call it a night, as I'm sure you want to get back to your common room to discuss things with your friends."  
  
Harry took the book carefully in his hands, sticking it under one arm. "Goodnight, Professor."  
  
He walked out of Dumbledore's office and rode the winding staircase down, all the while thinking about everything he still didn't know and wondering if he'd ever get all his questions answered.  
  
_(end chapter seventeen)_


	18. Chapter 18

When Harry entered the library early the next morning he was rather surprised to see so many people. It seemed that everyone had readjusted to normal life at Hogwarts now that the heat spell had been lifted and was using every spare moment they had to catch up on their assignments. Harry himself was still trying to get through all of the essays the various professors had assigned; Hermione had already thoroughly chastised him yesterday evening for not working on his Charms assignment. Presenting her with the book he'd received from Dumbledore had waylaid her for the moment, but Harry was sure that once she'd finished retrieving the information she was after he would no doubt receive another earful about his schoolwork.  
  
Harry stifled a yawn and waved at Madam Pince. He was surprised to see her nod her head in greeting instead of giving the usual suspicious look. Scanning the room for Hermione, he weaved his way through the tables and chairs that were occupied by other students; the Ravenclaws, in particular, seemed out in full force.  
  
He'd been informed by Colin Creevey (who had been up at the crack of dawn in order to get pictures of the Hogwarts sunrise for his mum) that Hermione had left the tower very early that morning with her arms loaded with books. She was completely enthralled with Dumbledore's book and had spent the previous evening putting together a list of supplemental titles to look through. The specifics of the spell casting were being handled by Ron and Lavender, as they were the Charms experts in the group, but Hermione wanted to make sure she was aware of the background and uses for the charm and that the variables were accounted for before they actually tried to cast it.  
  
The charm they were planning on using was very complex. There were a large number of things that could potentially go wrong, and since Harry was the one who would be overseeing the entire process, he, like Hermione, planned on learning as much as possible before they started. The biggest problem in Harry's opinion was simply the amount of time and magical energy this spell was going to require. In order to make sure everyone was protected, the charm had to be cast on everyone and everything that entered or exited the castle. This included staff members, students and all of their animals - toads, owls, cats and rats,  _everything_  had to be charmed. It simply would not be possible to accomplish their goal without the entire  _Adversarius_  and all of the teachers; he was glad that, in this case, he didn't have to do it by himself.  
  
Hermione had already worked out the mechanics of the spell and given them to Ron and Lavender to look over.  _Protego Intus_  was more complex than anything they'd tried thus far, including Blaise and Tracey's  _Contego_. Even the wand movement was difficult, requiring a design to be "drawn" in the air, instead of the typical swish and flick. The other problem was that there was a time limit on the spell; once anyone cast the first charm - typically on the building itself - they only had a set amount of time to complete everything. He was hoping Professor Dumbledore would be willing to work out a plan of action in order to ensure that everything was completed within the given time frame.  
  
Harry finally found Hermione at a table in the farthest corner of the library. Her head was buried in the large purple tome in front of her; the quill she was holding moved quickly over the sheet of parchment that was off to one side.   
  
Harry didn't say anything for a moment, instead pulling out the chair next to her and peering at her neat, small handwriting that had nearly filled up the page. "Can I help with something?" he finally asked as she paused in her writing to dip the quill into an inkpot.  
  
"Hello, Harry," she said in response, lifting a hand to rub the back of her neck. He stood up, brushing her hands away and started to massage her shoulders. She sighed in contentment. "Thanks. You're fantastic at that, you know."  
  
"You might have mentioned it once or twice."  
  
She smiled at him. "I have a list of books I would like to look through that are referenced in here. Do you think you could go get them for me? They're in the Restricted Section, but Professor Lupin wrote me a pass." She handed him a folded square of parchment. "Madam Pince told me what they all look like. I've written it all down, so you shouldn't have too much trouble locating them."  
  
Harry took the list from her, nodding his head. "Of course. I'll be back in a bit, then."  
  
As he walked away he looked over the note that Lupin had written. It gave them access to any book in the entire library; he hoped Madam Pince wouldn't find it necessary to hover around him while he looked. He reached the counter and passed the note to the librarian.   
  
"Right this way, Mr. Potter." She sighed as she led him away from her counter. "I certainly hope that whatever you find helps."  
  
Harry nodded his head in response. "Me, too."  
  
She unlatched the doors that led into the Restricted Section. "Be careful what you touch. Some of these books are very old and very temperamental. Let me know when you've finished so that I can lock everything back up."  
  
She left him alone with his list. Harry unfolded the parchment, running his finger along the titles that Hermione had written down. Along with the names of the books she'd also included a short description of their covers as well as extra notes; phrases like "tickle the spine" and "compliment it" mixed with the identifying characteristics. Harry rolled his eyes.  
  
Harry pulled his quill and some spare parchment for notes from his bag before slinging it off the back of a nearby chair. He moved the quill slowly down the list of titles, stopping on  _Magicus Arcanus_ , which, according to Hermione, was a simple black book with a silver pentacle on the spine. Harry moved along the shelves of books until he found the right section. He located the book and carefully pulled it from its place. Hermione's note informed him that in order to get this particular title to cooperate with him he had to provide music. Harry sighed. He hoped he'd be able to get by with humming; he really wasn't in the mood to sing.  
  
As his fingers skimmed the cover he started to hum the old standby  _Weasley is Our King_. The book seemed to enjoy it well enough because it thankfully remained silent. Harry gingerly turned the pages, looking for the section Hermione was most interested in. He found it and started to write. He got most of the way through when a voice interrupted him.  
  
"Well, well. Who knew you were so fond of that little ditty we wrote."  
  
Harry stopped humming, just getting the book closed as it started to draw a breath to scream. While he and the dark-haired Slytherin standing in front of him had a tentative truce in place, her tone of voice immediately set his teeth on edge.  
  
"What do you want, Pansy? I'm trying to finish this up for Hermione."  
  
Pansy smirked. "Who said I wanted anything?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Hermione's list. "You clearly do, or you wouldn't be standing here in front of me." He placed the black book back into its correct place before turning to face her. "I don't really have time to play guessing games with you, so if you want something please just get to the point."  
  
Pansy pushed away from the shelves and stepped close to Harry. "Maybe I just want to bask in the glow of the Boy Who Lived."  
  
Harry's jaw clenched. He couldn't help it; he hated the way she said it, the way she said "Boy Who Lived" like he was something terrible.  
  
"I'm afraid the light's already out for the day." Harry went back to his list and quickly located a few of the titles, pushing some of the books farther back on the shelf to make a place to set them. He organized them into a neat stack and started to lift them into his arms, when Pansy reached out and placed her hand on his forearm. She was squeezing just hard enough to make sure she had his attention; her grip also successfully prevented him from retrieving the books.  
  
"I want to know what's going on with you and Draco. I've tried to be patient. I've tried to wait for him to tell me. But waiting has never been one of my strong suits as Draco will tell you, so I've come to you instead. Don't let me down, Potter."  
  
Harry resisted the urge to sigh loudly. He'd rather expected her to ask him this - it seemed to be the only conversation Pansy was interested in having with him, in fact - but that still didn't mean that he wasn't a tad bit irked by the question.  
  
"What makes you think there's anything going on? We're simply two people working toward a common goal."  _In more ways than one_ , he added in his head. He placed his free hand on her wrist and twisted slightly. She winced and loosened her grip.  
  
"I don't believe you, Potter. Draco keeps giving me these vague answers which almost always mean he's lying or keeping something from me. I don't like it."  
  
"So sorry, but as far as I'm concerned there's really nothing to tell. Besides, if Draco won't discuss things with you then it's certainly not my place, either. Other than that, I honestly don't have anything else to say to you, Pansy. I really wish you'd stop bothering me about it." He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, counting to ten. There was a nasty headache brewing just behind his eyes, he could feel it. He stuck Hermione's list in the cover of a rather normal-looking green book, added it to the pile, and scooped up the stack.  
  
"I won't stop 'bothering you' as you so nicely put it, because Draco is my friend and I want to make sure he's all right. He's doing risky things and I'm positive that it's because of you. You may not want to talk to me but you will listen, Potter, because I am only going to say this once. It's your fault that Draco's involved in all this, after all."  
  
One of the books slipped and Harry just caught it before it toppled off the pile. "Excuse me? How is it  _my_  fault?"  
  
"If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't feel the need to endanger himself all the time. I mean, sending him back to the Manor? How stupid could you get?"  
  
Harry felt a rush of anger. "That had nothing to do with me! I didn't send him after that book." His grip on the pile of books started to slip a bit, but he managed to shift them enough to keep them from falling.  
  
"Maybe you didn't send him yourself but I'm sure you had a hand in convincing him to go."  
  
Harry tilted his head back and closed his eyes. He couldn't let Pansy get to him; she was just trying to make him slip up and reveal his and Draco's relationship. It wasn't going to work.  
  
Pansy continued on. "You also made him brew that Invincibility potion. The brewing process itself is dangerous, let alone sampling the potion once it's finished. What if something had gone wrong? Draco could have been injured and you put him in that position."  
  
"I never said he had to make the potion. Snape gave him the list of ingredients and told him it would be helpful to have. I also didn't make him try it, and when I couldn't persuade him not to I took it as well. I suppose you think I was purposely trying to injure myself, too?"  
  
"I don't see why not. You don't want to handle any of this on your own anyway, and injuring yourself would ensure that you survived while everyone else put their lives on the line instead."  
  
That did it. As Harry opened his mouth to reply, the small green book that had been balanced precariously on the top of the pile fell to the floor. It hit the ground with a thump and Harry caught his breath, hoping that this was not one of those temperamental titles that Madam Pince had mentioned.  
  
It was.  
  
The book let out an unholy scream. Pansy jumped, hitting her elbow hard on the corner of the shelves. Harry managed to set the rest of the teetering pile on the nearby table just as the librarian rushed into the section.  
  
"You two! Out! How dare you treat my books so terribly! Especially you, Mr. Potter, you should know better!"  
  
The book continued to scream as Madam Pince grabbed Pansy and Harry by the scruff of their necks and propelled them out of the library, forcing them through the doors. Harry landed hard on his arse, his elbow knocking painfully into the stone floor. "I don't want to see either of you in here again!" The door slammed shut, mercifully blocking out the book's screams.  
  
"Oh, well done, Potter."  
  
Harry bit his tongue to keep back the retort he desperately wanted to throw at her, instead leaning back until he was sprawled on the floor.  
  
_Bugger it all_ , he thought.  
  
***  
  
Draco had been listening to some of the background information on the spell from Hermione when a scream pierced the air. His back straightened instantly; it felt like he'd just been plunged into a pool of ice cold water.  
  
"What on earth?" he started to ask, but the scream had startled Hermione, too. She stood up so fast that her chair tipped over backwards, hitting the floor with a  _crack_. It was then that he realized he could just make out Madam Pince yelling over the noise and it was obvious that she was not happy at all. Draco belatedly wondered where Pansy had gone off to and stood up next to Hermione.  
  
"What happened?" he shouted into her ear.  
  
"I think Harry must have dropped one of the books!"  
  
"I'll go see what's going on!" he called over his shoulder. If Pansy wasn't with him she was probably with Harry, and more than likely had a hand in the scream that was still ringing loudly through the library; he doubted Harry would have caused all the ruckus on his own.  
  
Draco located the librarian, although it was difficult as people were up out of their seats wandering around. Nearly everyone had their hands clapped over their ears.  
  
Draco winced as the noise grew even louder. Madam Pince saw him then and shook a finger in his face.  
  
"You!" she said accusingly. Draco blinked. As far as he knew he hadn't done anything this time.  
  
She proceeded to grab him by the arm, pulling him into the Restricted Section. The book that was responsible for the incessant noise was lying open with its pages down on the ground. Madam Pince pushed him forward. "Pick it up! Quickly!"  
  
Draco did as he was told. The book continued to scream; he was afraid his hearing would never be the same again. Madam Pince made him hold it while she gently ran her fingertips over the cover. She cooed and placated it, her voice gentle as she told it how beautiful it was and apologized for the way the "stupid boy" had treated it. Draco rolled his eyes and received a glare in response. Luckily her words seemed to have settled it down a bit because the screams were not nearly as ear-piercing as they had been. Then again, perhaps they were and he'd simply lost his hearing. It was difficult to say.  
  
She took the book from him once the screams had subsided into wracking sobs. The entire book was shaking so hard that Draco found it difficult to hold on to, especially since the librarian had already told him not to squeeze too hard.   
  
"Your friends did this," she told him angrily. "I would have thought Mr. Potter was a better person than that. I'd assumed that being friends with Miss Granger would have put some sense in his head." Draco thought that was more than a bit unfair but refrained from commenting. "That Miss Parkinson, on the other hand…."  
  
She continued her tirade at Draco but he'd stopped listening. So Pansy  _had_  been involved; he'd rather thought so.  
  
"I'm sorry," he interrupted when she'd paused for a breath. "But where are they, exactly?"  
  
"I threw them out!" she said loudly. The book gave a shudder and Draco backed away quickly. His ears were still ringing and he wasn't sure he could handle another outburst.  
  
"Right," he said. "I'll just be on my way, then." She gave him another glare as he hurried away.  
  
He reached the door of the library and was about to open it when he noticed he could hear shouting through the wood. He sighed; the book being dropped had obviously interrupted Pansy in the middle of her discussion with Harry and she was making sure she said everything on her mind.  
  
He opened the door and stepped into the corridor. Pansy and Harry were facing each other and he was rather aghast to see that she had her wand drawn.  
  
"What are you going to do, Parkinson?  _Hex_  it out of me?"  
  
Draco winced at Harry's tone.  
  
"I will if I have to, Potter! Draco's involved too deeply for my liking! Why do you have to include everyone around you in this? Why can't you just be man enough to face the Dark Lord one on one?"  
  
"You've got it all wrong!" Harry yelled. His eyes flashed dangerously, reminding Draco of all the rows they'd had once upon a time.  
  
"If I've got it wrong maybe you should explain it to me!"  
  
Harry's shoulders slumped. "I can't," he said flatly. Draco stepped into the pool of light from one of the wall sconces and Harry saw him for the first time. His back straightened up. "It was lovely talking to you as always, Pansy, but I'm afraid we'll have to leave it for today. I have things to do now which are a bit more important."  
  
Pansy opened her mouth to reply but Harry spun around and stalked off down the hallway.   
  
"Pansy," Draco said, eyes on Harry's retreating figure. She turned around, already preparing to speak, but Draco held up his hand. The look he gave her would have made others take a step backwards, but it never quite worked that way on her. Instead she stepped closer to him and tried to talk again. "Not  _now_. I will talk with you later." His voice was final and he knew she didn't like it one bit. Her cheeks had that hint of red at the cheekbones, a sure sign that she was one second away from an outburst. He turned away quickly.  
  
"Harry, wait!" he called out. Harry was nearly to the staircase and didn't stop, so Draco broke into a run. "Please wait," he said once he'd gotten a bit closer, and Harry did, one foot paused on the step.  
  
"I'm sorry about Pansy."  
  
"Don't be." Harry's voice was quiet as Draco reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and turned to face him. His face was carefully blank. "She's absolutely right, so don't apologize. I shouldn't have involved you. I shouldn't have involved anyone."  
  
"Harry, stop," Draco said. "It's not your fault."  
  
"It  _is_  my fault!" The anger was back and it was so unexpected that two Gryffindor second years who had been making their way down the stairs stopped abruptly, unsure if they should continue past Harry or not.  
  
Draco shook his head and grabbed Harry by the arm, tugging him behind an ornate tapestry that concealed a passageway. Draco frequently used the shortcut to get to Charms class and knew it would be deserted.  
  
"Knock it off," he chastised. "You know as well as I do that the only way to bring down Voldemort is to get help from everyone possible. And Pansy knows it, too. She's just trying to get a rise out of you."  
  
A flash of pain briefly clouded the green eyes in front of him and Draco carefully reached out, pulling Harry close and wrapping his arms around him. It took Harry a moment to return the embrace, but when he did he rested his forehead against Draco's and sighed.  
  
"Deep down I know you're right. But I can't help wishing that I  _could_  do it alone, that I could keep you safe. That I could keep everyone safe."  
  
Draco tilted Harry's chin back with one hand and gave him a soft kiss. "You're forgetting that we volunteered for this. Not one of us had to join the  _Adversarius_ , Harry. We did it because we wanted to, because we wanted to help. We still want to help." He kissed him again, then released him. "Besides, without it there'd be nothing else to do. Things would be bloody boring."  
  
Harry gave a weak smile but before he could reply the tapestry was thrust aside and Professor Lupin stuck his head into the opening.  
  
"There you are, Harry. I thought I heard voices." He stepped into the corridor and dropped the fabric back into place. "The Headmaster would like an update from you and Hermione. How are you doing with the research?"  
  
"Well, I think she's doing all right with it." Harry had a sheepish look on his face and Draco grinned.  
  
"What do you mean 'you think'? Haven't you been helping her?"  
  
"Of course! It's just that, well, I … kind of got kicked out of the library."  
  
Lupin blinked. "You got kicked out of the library?" he repeated.  
  
"Er … well, yes. Just a bit ago."  
  
It was quiet for a minute as Lupin processed this. Then he burst out laughing. "Oh, Harry, you are more and more like your father every day."  
  
"Really?" Harry asked, interest written all over his face; it always saddened Draco that Harry had to rely on hearing these stories from others instead of directly from his parents.  
  
"Yes. James got kicked out plenty of times, although it was usually for making too much noise. Once, though, it was because Madam Pince found your parents in a compromising position in the History of Magic section."  
  
Harry blushed, and Draco coughed to hide his laughter, remembering all too well their recent tryst in the very same section.  
  
"Anyway!" Lupin clapped his hands together. "Let's find a way to get you back into the library, as I want to hear what you and Hermione have worked out. I don't suppose you have your cloak with you?"  
  
"Not with me, no. It's upstairs in my trunk."  
  
Draco looked at their professor carefully. Was he really advocating the use of Harry's invisibility cloak to sneak back into the library?  
  
"Well, head on up and get it then."  
  
Yes. Yes he was.  
  
Harry nodded his head. "I'll be right back." He briefly rested a hand on Draco's elbow before disappearing past the tapestry into the hall.  
  
"You know about Harry's cloak, Sir?" Draco asked after a moment had passed.  
  
"Of course. Has Harry shown you his map?"  
  
Draco shook his head. He didn't have any idea what Lupin was talking about.  
  
"Ah. Do mention it to him sometime. It's loads of fun."  
  
Draco was sure that Lupin was trying not to smile. "I'll do that."  
  
"Good." Lupin placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and led him through the tapestry. "Now what is all this about Harry getting kicked out of the library?"  
  
They sat side by side on the staircase as Draco explained what had happened and waited for Harry to return.  
  
Once Harry was back Lupin helped him cover himself with the cloak before moving to the door of the library. "Just head straight back to Hermione, Harry. I'll join you in a bit. Draco, you wait until Harry's had some time to reach her. Madam Pince is most likely going to be suspicious of you, so just try to keep your head down."  
  
"Right."   
  
Lupin opened the door and discretely held it open for the invisible Harry and then Draco to pass through. Lupin headed over immediately to the librarian's counter, where Madam Pince was still holding that sodding book. Its earlier sobs had now subsided into whimpers and Draco rolled his eyes. Surely enough was enough.  
  
He felt a hand on his arm and something silky brushed against his ear. "He's brilliant, isn't he?" An invisible hand drifted lazily across his shoulder blades and Draco twitched.  
  
"He's all right, I suppose," Draco said, breath catching in his throat. Harry's hidden fingers were drawing small circles on the nape of his neck and it was taking everything in him not to turn and kiss the living daylights out of his invisible companion.  
  
Lupin caught his eyes then and Harry moved away; the cloak slid silkily against Draco's arm as Harry started toward the table in the back.  
  
Draco took a deep breath and stepped away from the door. He paused to chat with Padma Patil, who was sitting at one of the tables with Terry Boot. Lupin was keeping Madam Pince occupied with questions about something and when Draco was sure she wasn't watching him he said his goodbyes to the two Ravenclaws and slipped into the shelves.  
  
When he reached the table he found Hermione whispering to someone in a tone that Draco recognized as her Head Girl voice and knew that Harry was most likely getting a talking to about the earlier incident. He stepped up to the table and interrupted. "It wasn't all his fault, you know."  
  
She leaned back into her chair and eyed him balefully. "I know. I was just saying."  
  
"Hmm." Draco started to slide into the chair opposite her but stopped when someone reached up and pinched his arse. "Harry." There was a soft laugh and a rustle as Harry moved into the neighboring chair.  
  
When Lupin joined them he was swinging Harry's bag in one hand.   
  
"I recovered this for you, Harry," he said with a smile as he sat down next to Hermione. Harry murmured his thanks as he pulled off his cloak.   
  
Lupin passed his bag over to him and before turning to Hermione and asking, "Well, what do we have so far?"  
  
Hermione explained the background and the logistics of the spell. They would start with the school first, making sure that no one left the premises once the spell was started because if that happened they would be unable to get back in. Casting  _Protego Intus_  on the building would require staff and students alike, as every wall, window and doorway had to be charmed. Harry piped up then, recommending that any Quidditch players in the  _Adversarius_  bring their brooms along so they would be able to fly to the necessary towers and turrets.   
  
Once the charm was fully cast on the building they would have six hours to finish everything up. They needed to determine how they were going to get everyone protected and what would be the easiest and quickest way to do it. Hermione suggested bringing everyone outside and simply moving down the lines. Draco and Harry agreed that this would be the easiest way to make sure they didn't miss anyone and Lupin cut in saying that everyone should bring their familiars with them, too, so that they could get the animals charmed right then as well. Harry added that the prefects would be responsible for getting all of their housemates outside.  
  
According to Lupin, Dumbledore was going to make an announcement that evening at dinner about the upcoming mail searches that were going to be instituted per Ministry orders. Two prefects would be responsible for overseeing the procedures. No mail owls would be allowed into the school because of the wards; instead, mail would be dropped off at a to-be-determined building in Hogsmeade. The two prefects and their team would sort through the mail and Hagrid would deliver it to the school once it had been cleared. Owls that also were familiars would be allowed into the school, but they'd also have to drop their parcels in Hogsmeade.  
  
"Well, everything seems to be coming along," Lupin said as he stood up and smoothed down the front of his robes. "I'll let Professor Dumbledore know what you've come up with and we can decide when to start the casting process. I think tomorrow morning would be good, as then we'd have the entire day to focus on the spell. There's a Prefect meeting this evening which the three of you will attend, and then of course you have your  _Contego_  practice after that. The Headmaster has already chosen the Prefects that will be responsible for the mail searches and will reveal their names at dinner." He tucked the parchment he'd been using to take notes into a pocket in his robes. "I'll see you three later. Harry, do take care when you leave here as Madam Pince isn't aware of your presence."  
  
"I will," Harry said with a smile.  
  
As Lupin walked away, Harry leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. His voice was pensive when he spoke. "So. It starts."  
  
Hermione looked at him. "Yes. But we'll be ready, Harry. I know it."  
  
Harry sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "I hope so, Hermione."  
  
Draco draped his arm across Harry's shoulders, squeezing. Harry allowed himself to be pulled closer and rested his head briefly on Draco's shoulder before standing up. "Right." The moment of weakness was over and Draco knew it was because that was all Harry felt he could allow himself. "Let's head down to lunch. I'm starving."  
  
Draco laughed and stood as well, helping Harry drape the cloak around him once more. Hermione gathered up her books and stuffed them into her bag. The three of them made their way out of the library, earning only one suspicious look from Madam Pince in the process.  
  
Out in the hallway Harry pulled the cloak off, causing his hair to stand up even worse than normal. Draco looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone watching and reached out to try to straighten it a bit, although he knew it was a lost cause. Harry chuckled slightly then caught Draco's wrists, pulling them down to hold against his chest. He leaned forward and kissed him slowly, only breaking away when Hermione gave a small cough. Draco looked up to see her smiling.  
  
"I'll see you later," Harry whispered, then released him. Draco smiled and gave a wave as Harry walked with Hermione down the corridor.  
  
***  
  
At dinner that evening Dumbledore announced the new mail procedures and named the two prefects in charge. Pansy had been surprised to hear her name, as well as Justin Finch-Fletchley's. The two of them were to meet with each other at some point that evening and determine the other students who would help them sort the mail.   
  
Dumbledore had also sent her a note via Professor Snape; he would meet with her and Finch-Fletchley after the prefect meeting to go over the spells necessary for the mail screenings. This would unfortunately mean that they'd miss practicing the  _Contego_  spell, but perhaps she could get Tracey to practice with her later. The new mail policy was starting on Monday so they really couldn't put off learning the Screening charms.  
  
There had also been thinly-veiled groans when Dumbledore had informed them that they weren't allowed outside of the castle. This meant no Quidditch practice and no working in the greenhouses. Professor Sprout hadn't looked too happy at this news; no doubt she was concerned about her Venomous Tentacula, Chinese Chomping Cabbages and Honking Daffodils, which, as far as Pansy was concerned, could all go to pot.  
  
Draco had tried to talk to her before Dumbledore had made his announcements but she wasn't interested in anything he had to say. She was still a bit sore at the way he'd run off after Potter and left her alone in the corridor, even if, deep down, she did understand why he might be a bit peeved at her. She hadn't meant to shout so much at Potter and she  _had_  broken her word to Draco that she wouldn't bother either of them about their relationship. She just found it difficult to be kept in the dark where her friends were concerned; that didn't mean she'd just let it blow over easily though, either.  
  
"Pansy." Draco tried yet again to speak to her but she cut him off.  
  
"Do hand me the butter, Daphne." She made sure to ask Daphne because then the butter dish would need to pass right in front of Draco's face, efficiently shutting him up. Never mind that there was a dish right near her that she could have used and she elbowed Blaise in the ribs when he noticed the same thing and tried to move it closer to her.  
  
"Bloody hell, Pansy," Blaise muttered, rubbing his side. "Don't take it out on me. I was only trying to help."  
  
"Sorry," she said, buttering her bread a bit more vigorously than necessary as Draco tried yet again to speak.  
  
"Really, Pansy, this is ridiculous."  
  
"Hmm? Did someone say something?" she asked. Blaise shook his head in response and turned his attention back to the book he'd been reading.  
  
Draco threw his hands up. "For God's sake, fine. Whatever. I'm leaving." He stepped over the bench and started to walk away, then realized he was still holding his fork and tossed it down on the table. It clanked against the serving dish loudly.  
  
Pansy knew she had a petulant expression on her face but couldn't help it. She'd wanted him to fight over her a bit longer and was torn between being angry that he hadn't or mad at herself for behaving this way. Since it was always easier for her to find fault in others rather than herself, she let the anger at Draco build even more until she was so annoyed that she knew she either had to get out of the Hall or hex someone. Her eyes chose that moment to land on Potter and she knew which choice she'd make.  
  
She raised her wand and used it to send the bowl of potatoes flying across the tables. Potter, unfortunately, noticed them coming and ducked. It hit Longbottom, who'd been walking innocently behind Potter, in the stomach, leaving a trail down the front of his robes.  
  
Blaise lowered his book and looked at her. "What the hell?"  
  
Pansy didn't have time to respond as a treacle tart came sailing in her direction; she'd just got an empty dinner plate up in front of her face before it hit. She retaliated again, sending a bowl of carrots back across the room, but this hit Lisa Turpin, who had just stood up from her table. Lisa didn't like that one bit, and picked up her juice goblet, hurling it in the direction the carrots had come from, only to splatter Ernie Macmillan in the face. Ernie sat there dripping for a moment before he picked up his entire plate and threw it back toward the Ravenclaws.  
  
"Food fight!" somebody from the Hufflepuff table shouted and soon there was food flying everywhere. Someone - and it had to be a Gryffindor as she couldn't imagine that noise coming out of anyone else's mouth - let out a whoop of joy. Soon the whole Hall was filled with flying dishes and desserts, cups and bowls of soup, and silverware and vegetables. There was shouting and yelling and the occasional grunt or groan of pain as a dish hit a particularly sensitive body part. Blaise was like a wild man next to her, using his wand to send any dish within reach zipping across the room.  
  
Pansy was covered in potatoes and chocolate and juice and was surprised to find herself laughing. She sent a bowl of cherries flying through the air, not even caring where they landed and just dodged the carafe of juice that nearly hit her in the head.  
  
It was possibly the most fun she'd had the entire year.  
  
The fight continued on for several minutes before Dumbledore, who Pansy noticed was waving a chicken leg around and had a wreath from the centerpiece hanging crookedly from his hat, used a  _Sonorus_  charm and settled everyone down with a very loud, "Well done, well done but  _enough_!"  
  
It took several more minutes before the mess was cleared away, during which time Pansy slunk out of the Great Hall and down to the dungeons to change. She definitely wasn't attending the prefect meeting in the clothes she currently had on,  _Scourgify_  charm or no. She could feel  _things_  dripping down the inside of her robes.  
  
The common room was empty when she entered as most people were still at dinner, so she slipped quickly down to her room to shower and change. Feeling much more human afterwards (she'd had potatoes stuck in her hair and a streak of chocolate on her cheek, not to mention the food that had gotten under her robes) she grabbed her bag and headed back up to the common room to work on some homework before the meeting. When she got there, though, she wasn't alone; Draco was sitting with his feet up on the tabletop and his arms crossed over his chest, chair tilted back on its hind legs.  
  
The chair hit the floor with a  _crack_  when he saw her and he started to get up.  
  
"Draco, wait." Pansy sighed. Now that she'd worked out her anger in the food fight she wanted to get everything back to rights with Draco. "I'm sorry I was so rude."  
  
Draco  _hmmph_ ed.  
  
"And I'm sorry I shouted at Potter earlier, too."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow at that, but still didn't say anything.  
  
She balled up her fists and banged one smartly on the table. It hurt, and she swallowed a curse. "I know I promised I wouldn't bother either you or Potter about whatever is going on between you two," she started, shaking her sore hand. "But I couldn't help myself. Not when he was all by himself like that. It was wrong of me. I won't-," she stopped and shook her head. "I'll  _try_  not to do it again."  
  
Draco smiled at that. "Sit down, Pansy. Let's have this chat you've been dying for us to have. I'm tired of hiding things from you anyway."  
  
Pansy sat, cradling her hand. It still hurt horribly. Draco moved into the chair next to her and took her hand gently in his. He murmured a spell under his breath and Pansy felt something cool move through her wrist and down to her fingers. When he finished the pain had completely gone and Pansy sighed in contentment. "Thank you."  
  
"Harry taught me that, for the record," he said smugly as he put his wand away.  
  
Pansy arched an eyebrow. "That's nice."  
  
Draco sat still for a moment gathering his thoughts, hands gripped tightly together in his lap. Pansy waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And  _waited_.  
  
" _Honestly_ , Draco, sometimes you're slower than molasses in January!"  
  
That earned her a laugh. "Another Muggle idiom?"  
  
"Of course. I read it in a Muggle book once. I rather like it."  
  
Draco smiled at her then reached out and took her hands in his and laced their fingers together. He was silent for another moment and then spoke. "Harry and I are … more than friends. A lot more than friends."  
  
Pansy preened. She couldn't help herself. "I knew it!"  
  
Draco sighed. "I thought as much." His fingers tightened on hers. "You won't tell, will you? Not Blaise or Tracey or Daphne or…." He trailed off, looking her full in the eyes.  
  
"Oh, Draco, you know I won't. But can I ask why you don't want anyone else to know?"  
  
He leaned back in his chair, taking her hands with him. She perched on the very edge of the chair and waited for him to respond. She could tell that this was difficult for him and wanted to give him as much time as he needed.  
  
"I think I just want to keep something to myself. Everyone here knows nearly everything about me. They were all here when I got that letter from … from my father, last year after I refused the Mark. They know about the work I'm doing for the  _Adversarius_  even if they don't know the reasons behind it. They know that I was having lessons with Sirius and they know I spend a lot of time missing from the dungeons, but I can't - I  _won't_  - let them know why. Harry's my secret, he's  _mine_ , Pansy. I don't want to share what we are with anyone, especially when we're still not sure if everyone who is here is on our side or not."  
  
"You're worried about your father finding out, then?"  
  
Draco brought their joined hands up and tucked them under his chin. "No. I don't think that matters, anyway. I'm sure he already knows." He sounded resigned and Pansy cocked her head to the side.  
  
"What do you mean, 'he already knows'? How would he know?"  
  
"Because I told him. Or rather, I told his damn portrait. It was rash and stupid, but he always makes me do stupid things. I told his portrait and it reacted exactly as I expected my father to act and I know the bastard painting told him as soon as he returned home. I  _know_. And I've been waiting for a letter about it ever since, but so far haven't received one."  
  
Pansy took a deep breath. That was dangerous information for his father to have because he would now put two and two together and figure out that Harry was probably one of the deciding factors in Draco turning against Lucius. It would also mean that Lucius might have a personal vendetta to settle with Harry, too. Pansy didn't say any of this, though, because she realized Draco already knew it. So instead she said, "I'll just make sure I screen your mail extra well, then."  
  
Draco gave a small laugh. "Harry's too?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Potter's too."  
  
Draco squeezed her hands again and released them. Pansy leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, regarding him for a moment. "I still can't help but be worried about how deeply you're involved in this, Draco. I don't like it; it's not safe."  
  
"Pansy, nothing about this situation is safe. And believe me when I say that if Harry could do it on his own, he would. He doesn't like involving others in anything - I mean, he's a Gryffindor after all, you know, heroic to the very end, charging blindly into battle bellowing a war cry, et cetera - all he needs is a sword to complete the picture."  
  
Pansy snorted. "I'm sure we can scrounge up a sword somewhere."  
  
"There's one in Dumbledore's office, actually. He'd look quite fetching swinging it around, I think." He sat up straight as a couple of Slytherins came into the common room. Blaise was in the rear and had a big grin on his face. He was covered from head to toe in various food groups and seemed to have a rather large welt swelling up on his cheekbone.  
  
"What the hell happened to you?" Draco asked.  
  
"Food fight." He pointed a finger in Pansy's direction. "She started it. It was  _fantastic_ , Draco, you should have seen it!"  
  
Draco looked at her and she felt herself blush. "Clearly," he replied.  
  
"Oh, look at the time, we're going to be late for the meeting!" Pansy stood up suddenly and reached for the scraps of parchment on the table, none of which were actually hers. She stuffed them haphazardly into her bag and was struggling with the zipper until Draco swatted her hands aside and zipped it up himself.  
  
"A food fight?" he whispered to her.  
  
"Hush. I had to work off my adrenaline somehow."  
  
Draco threw his head back and laughed. "God, I love you. Please don't ever change."  
  
Pansy felt her heart swell at his words. He really was the best friend she'd ever had. "Likewise. And I promise I won't. Just remember that you said that the next time you're angry at me for acting the way I always do."  
  
He pulled her into a one-armed hug and kissed her cheek. "I'll remember."  
  
When they entered the Prefect Lounge they were not surprised to see a bunch of folks missing. Lupin himself looked like he'd just showered as his hair was still wet and Padma Patil was busy re-braiding hers. "How much of a mess did you cause?" Draco murmured in her ear and Pansy gave him a grin.  
  
Potter entered then, hair wet and curling around his ears, and held the door open for Hermione, who was busy twisting her hair up into a bun. She was trying to shove her quill through it as she spoke.  
  
"Right, so, we need to determine a plan of action for the younger students in case of an attack on the school and, OUCH, dammit, I've stuck myself." She brought her hand down to examine her finger. A drop of blood was pooling on the tip. Before Pansy could blink Potter had his wand out and had fixed the cut so perfectly it was like it'd never been there in the first place. He then took the quill out of her hand and twisted it through her hair, getting it to stay in place with a murmured spell.  
  
"Thank you," Hermione said as she reached into her bag for her notebook.  
  
Pansy blinked. That entire exchange could have taken place between Draco and herself; it was odd to see that the relationship the two Gryffindors had with each other was the same as hers with Draco. She noticed Draco smiling at her and just shook her head.  
  
"Right, so, is everyone here? Oh, I suppose we are missing quite a few. We'll have to wait a bit longer, then, so everyone who ran off to shower and change can have a bit more time to get here." Hermione was busy setting up a huge chart while she was speaking and Pansy strained to see what was printed on it. It looked like a list of names, but there wasn't a title anywhere for her to see what it was all about.  
  
"You have good aim."  
  
She looked up to see Potter looking at her with a bit of a smile on his face.  
  
"Thank you. And you have good reflexes."  
  
He shrugged. "I wasn't made a Seeker for nothing." He noticed Draco then and gave him a grin. "Hello."  
  
"Hello, yourself."  
  
Pansy rolled her eyes and moved away, but not before she heard Draco mutter, "If we didn't have all these people around I would ravish you right here and now."  
  
She glanced around in time to see Harry's grin turn devilish and Draco swallow a whimper. "Really, you two. Get a room."  
  
Potter shrugged again. "Maybe later." He then walked off to join Hermione at the front of the room.  
  
Soon enough everyone was gathered and Hermione started in on her plan of action. Pansy listened intently; it was actually a very good idea.  
  
Hermione explained what would be happening tomorrow with the protection spell and what all would be involved. It was up to the prefects of each house to make sure everyone was outside on the front lawn when the time came to cast the charm on the students and they also needed to make sure everyone had their familiars. The members of the  _Adversarius_  would be casting the charms on everyone with the help of the staff, and as the whole thing was time sensitive they needed to have it perfectly timed out. Pansy wrote down everything Hermione had to say; she wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong with the members of her house.  
  
The next discussion was led by Potter. He talked about what needed to happen in case of an attack on the school. While everyone realized that they most likely wouldn't get a lot of advance notice, a procedure needed to be put in place immediately regardless. Potter's idea was to have the prefects practice emergency drills with the members of their house.   
  
There was a charm,  _Invenio Desideror_ , which would instantly tell them if anyone was missing from the dormitories. In case of emergencies an overhead announcement would be made informing everyone to return to their common rooms. The Prefects would then lock the doors and cast the charm. A letter would immediately be dispatched to the Heads of House with the names of the missing students. The school would be locked down to ensure everyone was at least inside and, if there was time, the staff would track down the missing pupils. Of course, if there was absolutely no advance notice, the school would simply be locked down and the students would be sorted out later; hopefully they'd be safe enough within the school. The meeting place in an instance like this was the Great Hall. Dumbledore would make another announcement tomorrow informing everyone that outdoor classes were going to be moved indoors as soon as suitable areas were found and cleaned out.  
  
Pansy raised her hand when Potter asked if there were any questions.  
  
"What about those of us who want to fight?"  
  
He tilted his head. "Well, you'd fight. This lockdown procedure is for anyone who doesn't want to fight or is too young or inexperienced to fight. Those of us who want to join in the battle may obviously do so. In fact, the last part of our protection plan for the school requires us to be outside."  
  
"What last part?" Pansy asked. Several others nodded their heads.  
  
"The final protection ward," Hermione answered, flipping through her notebook. "It's called  _Dum Mors_. And it requires a majority of the seventh years from each house to cast it. What it basically does is use our life force to protect the school. Every one of us who casts it must die in order for the school to be breached."   
  
Draco sat up in his chair. "That's some really serious magic, Hermione."  
  
"I know. These are really serious times."  
  
Draco looked first at her and then at Potter. "Whose idea was this?"  
  
Potter sighed. "Dumbledore's. Once we do our bit, the teachers do the final step and combine the four houses together. It's basically a spell version of what the Sorting Hat sang two years ago. You know, ' _Oh, know the perils, read the signs, the warning history shows, for our Hogwarts is in danger from external, deadly foes and we must unite inside her or we'll crumble from within'_? This is the spell that will unite us. It's the only way."  
  
Pansy blinked. "You actually remember the sorting song?"  
  
He laughed. "No. Hermione wrote it down. I was reading it out of her notebook." He waved it around.  
  
Everyone laughed and the tension abated a little.  
  
"Does everyone understand what we want you to do?" Hermione asked after a moment. There were nods and sounds of agreement around the room. "We need to know when your first emergency drill is, so please let us know as soon as you can. Nothing can be scheduled for tomorrow morning, obviously, and we need it completed before Monday evening. Discuss it among each other so that two houses aren't doing theirs on the same day, as Harry and I need to be a part of all of them and can't be in two places at once."  
  
"Not without a time-turner, at any rate," Potter added with a grin.  
  
Hermione continued on. "Your Heads of House will teach you how to cast  _Invenio Desideror_ , and you can meet with them once we finish here, except for those of you meeting with Blaise and Tracey, of course. We've already printed up the names of all the students in the houses. You can get that from Harry before you leave. Make sure you post it somewhere near the entrances to your common rooms so it's within easy reach. We also want a written report of the steps you're going to take to keep your housemates safe, so please turn those in no later than Tuesday morning."  
  
"Any questions?" Harry asked. There were none and he nodded, closing Hermione's notebook with a snap. "Good. Then I turn you back over to Terry, who has some Head Boy stuff to take care of."  
  
Pansy rolled her eyes at the word "stuff", but focused her attention on Boot.  
  
Terry stood then. "I know that Demelza and Andrew have Patrol duties tonight, but starting on Monday there is a new Patrol schedule. Check the chart behind Hermione there to see when your turn is. And that's all I've got. Enjoy the rest of your evening."  
  
There was a sound of chairs scrapping across the floor as everyone stood. The noise level rose exponentially as everyone began to talk among themselves as they gathered their things and headed for the door. Potter passed close to Draco and whispered something in his ear that put a wicked grin on Draco's face and then was gone, following Granger out the door.  
  
"What did he say?" she asked Draco as they made their way down to the dungeons.  
  
Draco grinned. "Midnight. Room of Requirement."  
  
Pansy simply rolled her eyes as Draco's laugh echoed down the corridor.  
  
_(end chapter eighteen)_


	19. Chapter 19

It was early when Draco staggered into the Great Hall, stifling a yawn with one hand. He scanned the nearly empty room before his gaze found its target; Harry was sitting in his usual spot next to Hermione, blearily staring at the piece of toast in his hand, with Weasley on the other side of him looking like he was going to fall asleep in his bowl of porridge.  
  
Draco walked over to the Gryffindor table and dropped into a seat across from Harry, who immediately dropped his toast in surprise.  
  
"Hey," Harry said.  
  
"Hey," Draco murmured back.  
  
It was so early that the only people attempting to eat breakfast were the members of the  _Adversarius_ , as they had a long day ahead of them and had decided to start as early as possible with the spell casting on the school. Draco had gotten little sleep the previous night thanks to his rendezvous with Harry in the Room of Requirement, and Harry looked as if he himself were in the same state. Weasley had actually dozed off, head dipping dangerously low so that his long nose was nearly touching the porridge in front of him.  
  
Lupin and Sirius entered the Great Hall then, and walked over to where they were sitting.   
  
"Are we nearly ready to start?" Lupin asked, picking up a piece of toast and spreading it liberally with jam. Weasley jerked upwards at his voice, nearly toppling off the bench, and Draco coughed to cover his laugh.  
  
"It's not even light out yet," Harry said, grumbling slightly. "I feel like I'm going to fall asleep sitting here." He nudged Weasley in the ribs with his elbow, as the other boy had once again started to drift off.  
  
Sirius smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair, earning an indignant squawk from his godson. "The early bird catches the worm," he said jokingly.  
  
Harry ran his hands uselessly through his hair before sighing and standing up. "I suppose you're right." He grabbed a piece of toast off his plate and stepped over the bench. "Off we go, then."  
  
Draco watched Harry step up onto the dais where the staff table sat. McGonagall and Snape were the only professors present, and Harry leaned across the table to speak with them quickly. McGonagall nodded and Harry turned around to face the Hall's occupants.  
  
"If everyone can finish up their breakfast, or their naps-" here he winked at Weasley, "-we really need to get started. Please meet me outside in ten minutes and we'll go over everything. If you've got a broom, please make sure you bring it with you."  
  
This seemed to spur everyone to action, as they reached for a final piece of toast or slice of bacon and finished up their juice. Draco picked up the second piece of toast that had been lying on Harry's plate and ate it, following it with the remaining bit of juice in Harry's goblet. He arched an eyebrow at Hermione, who was trying to hide a smile behind the always-present book in her hand, and ignored Weasley's curious look.  
  
"See you outside," he said as he stepped over the bench, brushing a hand down the front of his jumper to remove any crumbs. Sirius and Lupin had seated themselves at the end of the Gryffindor table, and Draco nodded at them both as he passed. He walked up to Harry, who was still conversing with McGonagall, reaching up a hand and lightly grasping Harry's knee. Harry looked down at him and gave him a lazy smile extremely reminiscent of the one that had been on his face the previous night in the Room of Requirement, and Draco curled his fingers possessively into the back of Harry's knee.  
  
Harry smirked at him slightly, then turned back to McGonagall, who was speaking again. Draco tried to focus his attention on her words, trying not to notice how good Harry smelled, and failing rather spectacularly. The way Harry was nibbling on his toast was downright obscene and Draco swallowed back a groan.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
Draco snapped his gaze up to McGonagall's face. "Yes?"  
  
She gave him a stern look and he heard Harry snort in laughter. He tried to scowl at him but noticed that Harry was now licking his fingers and Draco felt all conscience thought drift away from him. As Harry ran his tongue slowly over the tip of his thumb, Draco's fingers tightened on Harry's knee. He forcefully tore his attention away from Harry's mouth, firmly not thinking about exactly what that mouth had been doing to him the night before, as Snape cleared his throat irritably.  
  
"I'm sorry, Professor, what did you say?" Draco finally asked, swallowing another groan as Harry slowly slid a finger between the collar of his jumper and his throat.  
  
"I asked where your housemates are, Mr. Malfoy. You are the only Slytherin present this morning."  
  
Draco cleared his throat but was saved from answering when Pansy entered the Hall. She saw him and headed his direction just as Blaise and Tracey stepped through the doors and walked towards the Slytherin table.  
  
"Morning, Draco. Potter," Pansy said when she reached them. "Sorry we're a bit late."  
  
Harry arched an eyebrow at that before finally dropping his hand away from his throat and stepping down off the dais next to Draco. Draco noticed that he could just barely see a bit of a red mark peeking out of the collar of Harry's jumper and wrenched his gaze away. God, it was really difficult for him to focus this morning.  
  
"Not a problem," Harry finally said, grinning slightly. "We're just about to get started. You probably have enough time to get a quick something to eat. I've asked everyone to be outside in ten minutes."  
  
Pansy nodded. "Did you eat, Draco?"  
  
He found himself once again staring at Harry's throat, and said, "Yes," rather absentmindedly.  
  
Pansy rolled her eyes. "Right." She gave him a look that firmly told him to get a grip on himself before turning away. "I'll just grab some toast, then, and meet you outside."  
  
Draco watched her walk away then turned his attention back to the person standing next to him. Harry was watching him with amusement, and Draco looked once more at his neck and bit his lower lip slightly. Harry winked and started to walk towards the doors, and Draco waited for just a second before following him out of the Great Hall.  
  
"You've got a love bite on your neck," Draco murmured, reaching out a hand to stop Harry from going up the stairs.  
  
"I know," Harry replied, smiling easily. "You should have seen Hermione's face when she asked if I wanted her to heal it."  
  
"What was Granger doing looking at your neck?" Draco asked, blinking as his voice came out sounding much more envious than he'd expected.  
  
Harry gave a soft laugh, then glanced around quickly before pulling him close and placing a quick open-mouthed kiss on his lips. "Later." He stepped back and adjusted his collar, hiding the mark from view. "I need to run up to the Tower and grab my broom."  
  
"I'll grab your broom," Draco whispered, and Harry rolled his eyes as Draco's grin turned devilish.  
  
"I'm sure you would," Harry finally replied with a small smile. Draco reached out and cupped Harry's face in one hand, running his thumb gently over Harry's cheekbone.  
  
They were interrupted by a slight cough, and Draco hastily dropped his hand, tucking it into his pocket. He turned to find Hermione and Weasley standing behind him. Hermione had a smile on her face but Weasley was turned slightly sideways, resolutely looking at a portrait of an old wizard with an ear trumpet, who was staring at Ron curiously.  
  
"We need to get our cloaks," Hermione said, tugging on Weasley's arm to get him started up the steps. "Coming, Harry?"  
  
"Not at the moment," Harry murmured, and Draco choked on his laughter as Weasley's face turned bright red.  
  
"Right, well, I hardly think now's the time." Hermione grinned. "And your collar's slipped again, you know."  
  
"Granger, please refrain from staring at my boyfriend's neck," Draco said, grasping the collar of Harry's jumper and pulling it down slightly to show off the mark. "I don't like you ogling what's mine." He ran his fingers gently over the mark, noticing as he did so that Harry's breathing became a bit unsteady.  
  
He dropped his hand as the doors to the Great Hall opened again, spilling the four Hufflepuffs into the Entrance Hall.  
  
"Nearly ready, Harry?" Ernie called out. Hannah was pulling on her cloak while Susan fiddled with her mittens, then pulled a hat over her hair. Justin was juggling three broomsticks as he attempted to tuck his Hufflepuff scarf beneath his cloak. Hannah relieved him of one of the broomsticks once she'd gotten her cloak straight.  
  
Harry drew a deep breath as he straightened his jumper out. "Yes," he said after a moment, eyes holding Draco's gaze steadily. "Nearly ready."  
  
Draco smiled at him. "See you outside." Harry nodded as Draco turned away, heading down to the dungeons to grab his cloak and his Nimbus.  
  
When Draco stepped outside, nearly everyone except the Gryffindors were there. Pansy stepped up next to him, pulling on her hat.  
  
"Did you have a good night?"  
  
Draco grinned at her, tugging on his gloves. "Yes, it was quite nice."  
  
Pansy smirked. "I'm sure."  
  
The doors opened behind them and Lavender Brown walked through, followed by the final three Gryffindors.   
  
"We'll have to ward everything but the main door," Hermione was saying, gesturing around. "That way people can still go in and out. Once we start we'll only have limited time, remember, so while we have to be careful we're not missing anything we also have to be fairly quick."  
  
"Everyone here?" Harry asked as he straightened his cloak and retrieved his Firebolt from Weasley.  
  
"Just waiting for you, Potter," Pansy replied, arching an eyebrow.   
  
Harry gave her an easy smile. "Wonderful. Then let's get started."  
  
He moved to stand in the center of the steps and raised one hand. "If I could have everyone's attention, please, we can go over the incantation needed for the wards."   
  
Everyone settled down quickly at Harry's request.   
  
"We'll practice saying the incantation first, then the wand movement, and then try to put them together. Everyone here is fairly competent with their Charms so it shouldn't be too difficult." Harry grinned and everyone laughed slightly, releasing the tension that had been building. "Ron and Lavender are our Charms experts, so they'll be the ones to go over everything with you. If everyone can divide into two groups, we'll get started."  
  
Harry leaned over to whisper something to Weasley, who nodded. Pansy grabbed Draco's elbow and pulled him down the stairs, where they joined Blaise and Tracey on the lawn.  
  
"Weasley or Brown?" Tracey asked.  
  
Draco shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."  
  
Harry had moved down the stairs and was again talking to McGonagall and Snape. Lupin and Sirius joined them, Sirius still munching on a bit of bacon. Harry gestured around, receiving nods or shakes of the head in response to whatever he was saying.  
  
"Harry already knows the Charm," Hermione said as she stepped up to the Slytherins.  
  
"And you don't?" Pansy asked, voice sharp. She still was not on very good terms at all with the Head Girl, and made that apparent nearly every time they had to speak to each other.  
  
Hermione regarded her coolly. "Of course I do."  
  
Draco suddenly developed a rather nasty cough, and Pansy glared at him.  
  
"You four can work with Lavender," Hermione said imperiously, "and Justin and Susan." She pointed to where Brown was standing, a bright red hat pulled over her hair. Lavender was waving her wand about in a fairly intricate pattern. "It looks like she's already started, so you might want to hurry."  
  
Blaise shrugged elegantly before taking Tracey's elbow, tugging her in the direction of Brown and the two Hufflepuffs. Pansy threw one last glare at Hermione before huffily walking after them. Draco grinned at Hermione, then followed at a more sedate pace.  
  
Draco listened carefully as Brown went over the incantation and watched as she moved her wand again in that intricate design that he'd seen earlier. He knew his housemates were watching just as avidly, although it wasn't immediately obvious to most. Blaise had a rather haughty look on his face, but his eyes were sharp, following the pattern Lavender traced in the air. Pansy looked thoroughly bored, but Draco knew she, too, was carefully cataloguing anything and everything Brown said and did. Tracey was the most open of them all, eyes showing her curiosity even if she did keep the rest of her face in its typical expressionless mask.  
  
"Let's all say the incantation once more, together, so that I can make sure you're stressing the correct syllable. Then I'm going to ask each of you to show me the wand movement individually, because this really isn't something that we can afford to make any mistakes in." Brown swiped irritably at the fringe of her Gryffindor scarf as the wind chose that moment to gust, blowing the yarn into her eyes. "Again, the incantation is  _Protego Intus_ , so please repeat after me:  _Protego Intus_."  
  
Everyone parroted it back to her, and she gave a slight shake of the head. "Close. Say it again:  _Pro-TEH-go IN-tus_."  
  
" _Protego Intus_ ," a voice said in Draco's ear, causing him to jump slightly. He turned his head and met amused green eyes. Harry winked at him and then turned his attention to Brown.  
  
"Nearly there?" he asked.  
  
"I think so," Brown said. "Can you all say it one more time, so that Harry can hear it?"  
  
They did so, yet again, and Lavender nodded. "I think they've got it, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded once, lightly brushing Draco's elbow with his fingertips, before stepping away and heading over towards Weasley's group. Draco watched him walk away before a swift poke in his ribs gained his attention quite forcefully. He jerked his head around and glared at Pansy, who merely arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Stop ogling him, Draco. Now's not the time."  
  
Draco scowled, but returned his attention to Brown, who was once again demonstrating the complicated wand motion. Pansy was right; now wasn't a good time at all for him to be distracted, although she didn't have to point it out to him quite so painfully. He absently rubbed at the spot she'd poked, eyes sharp on Brown as she performed the movements again.  
  
"Let's try it all together, first. On three, please. One, two, three." Everyone tried to copy the design she'd drawn in the air, none of them succeeding. Brown laughed slightly. "Well, it was a good attempt for a first try. Let me break it down for you, and then we'll try it again." She drew a pattern high in the air, using a charm to light the path of her wand so that everyone could follow it more easily. Draco's eyes followed the red trail as she slowly moved her wand through the air. She demonstrated the first part of the motion three more times, before gesturing for them to do the same. Draco slowly moved his wand through the air, his pattern sparkling in a green path through the sky. Brown was watching them all closely, but caught Draco's eye and gave a quick nod of her head to say he'd done it correctly.  
  
Bones' attempt was close, but Draco noticed that she'd added one too many swirls to the middle, so quietly pointed it out to her. She smiled in thanks at him, erased the path of purple she'd drawn in the air, and tried it again, this time correctly. Lavender smiled at her, then turned her attention to Finch-Fletchley.  
  
Once everyone in the group had the first part learned, she showed them the rest of the pattern. It took several tries for everyone to get it right, but they finally succeeded.  
  
"Great, now we're going to try it with the incantation. The charm won't do anything as long as you're not actually drawing it on anything, so make sure there's plenty of room between you." Everyone shifted away from each other slightly. "All right, remember, the first part of the incantation -  _Protego_  - should be said while you're completing your first set of swirls.  _Intus_  is then added as you loop the design around from the bottom, ending with that final point to your right. Does that make sense?"  
  
There were murmurs of assent. Draco's eyes narrowed as he watched Brown demonstrate the entire charm once more. He straightened his shoulders. If she could do it he certainly could, and probably better than anyone else. Harry stepped up next to him as that thought finished, so he amended it slightly. Well, anyone else except Harry.  
  
"Got it?" Harry murmured. Draco nodded. "Show me."  
  
Draco did. Once the design was completed, he dropped his wand slowly and turned his head towards Harry. "So?"  
  
"Perfect." Harry was close, mouth nearly touching Draco's ear, and he felt a shiver move down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold wind blowing around them. "Just like you."  
  
Draco couldn't stop the grin that appeared on his face at the words. "Kiss arse."  
  
"Only yours," Harry said solemnly. He squeezed Draco's fingers slightly, then stepped away again.  
  
"Everyone got it, Lavender?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, Harry. Ready when you are."  
  
Harry nodded and turned his head to catch Weasley's attention, who gave a short nod as well. "Great. Let's all head back over towards the stairs, then, and we'll divide everyone up."  
  
The group moved across the grass until they were standing at the base of the stairs. Harry climbed up them, joined by Hermione. Draco noticed that most of the staff had come outside as well, although Professor Sprout seemed to be heading towards the greenhouses. Dumbledore was decked out in a bright purple cloak with a neon green muffler and Draco blinked at the sight.  
  
Harry held a hand up for attention, which was immediately granted. "I just want to go over a few more things before we get started. I don't think I need to remind you that what we're doing this morning is extraordinarily important. We're doing this to ensure that the students in our school - our classmates - are protected to the best of our abilities if Voldemort should decide to attack Hogwarts." There was some squirming at the mention of Voldemort's name, and Harry paused a moment for everyone to settle back down.  
  
"We must be extremely careful as we place the charms, because we cannot afford even one mistake," Harry continued. "As soon as the first charm is cast, we will have an exact window of time in which to work. Hermione has charmed an hourglass that we're going to place behind where you're standing on the lawn so that you can see how much time is left. I am hopeful that we'll be able to get finished with most of the building in three hours. I may be a bit overly optimistic, though." He grinned at Hermione, who shook her head fondly.  
  
"Those of you with brooms will take care of the towers and turrets. Remember: every window, crevice and outcropping needs to be charmed. Do exactly what you were doing with Ron and Lavender, because the charm will spread slightly when you cast it on an object. That way you'll be able to easily see if there's a surface that hasn't been charmed."  
  
The doors opened behind Harry, and Longbottom, Stephen Cornfoot, Su Li and Daphne Greengrass stepped through.  
  
"Sorry, Harry," Neville said, "we didn't mean to interrupt. We're going to help Professor Sprout move some of her plants inside. Professor Dumbledore finally found a good classroom for us to use and we just finished putting the warming and sunlight charms on it."  
  
"I doubt Potter's terribly interested in the specifics, Neville," Daphne said dryly, and Neville blushed.  
  
"Right, sorry. Will you be on the stairs long, Harry? We're going to have to make several trips." Longbottom was apologetic and Harry placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"No, actually, that feeds right in to what I wanted to say next. We're not charming the front doors until after the students and their familiars have been charmed. In fact, just stay away from this entire area. So that set of windows and below," Harry sent a beam of brilliant blue light up towards the set of windows he was talking about, "is not to be touched at all. Okay?"  
  
Everyone agreed, and the four students who were helping Sprout moved down the stairs and headed off towards the greenhouses.  
  
Harry nodded at Hermione, who took over the explanations. "As Harry said, this is extremely important work, but as I'm sure you've figured out as well, it's also a rather delicate process. It's also going to be tiring. The house-elves have been asked to provide us with refreshments at our request." Her voice was tinged with distaste, and Harry grinned.  
  
"If you feel yourself tiring at all, stop immediately. If you're hungry or thirsty, just step up to the table behind Professor Dumbledore there and tell Dobby what you'd like. Within reason, of course," she added hastily. "No reason to overwork the house-elves, after all."  
  
Harry and Weasley shared a grin. "No, of course not," Harry said teasingly.  
  
"Oh, shut up, Harry," Hermione muttered, causing Harry and Weasley to laugh openly.  
  
"Anyway," Hermione said, cheeks tinged slightly pink. "Any questions?" There didn't appear to be any, so Hermione nodded once and she and Harry moved down the stairs towards everyone and started sending them off to the different areas of the castle.  
  
"You're with me," Harry said, grasping Draco's elbow and pulling him towards the front stairs. "We're doing the Astronomy Tower, and the walkway below. Oh, and Trelawney's tower, too."  
  
"Is that all?" Draco asked, allowing Harry to lead him across the grass.  
  
"Hardly," Harry said dryly. "That's just the first part. Hermione said there's no way we can do anything else without a break, so we'll meet back here once that's done to get our new assignments."  
  
Hermione spoke then, voice carrying easily across the grounds with the help of a  _Sonorus_  charm. "Once you've finished the areas you were just assigned, please return to the front lawn here, so we can take a bit of a break. You'll receive your new areas of the castle then."  
  
Draco watched as a few other people took to the skies on their broomsticks, heading off to the other towers. He turned his head to find Harry looking at him.  
  
"Well, here we go," Harry said softly.  
  
Draco nodded, and they both mounted their brooms and kicked off.  
  
***  
  
As the charm slowly spread across the castle, Ron sighed slightly in relief. They'd been at this for nearly three hours now, and he was pleased to see that everything appeared to be working. As the so-called "Charms expert" it was his responsibility to watch the flow of the spell as it settled, to make sure there weren't any holes in the wards. Thus far the castle was glistening golden in the morning sunlight, with no areas of concern. All was going according to Harry and Hermione's plan.  
  
Ron flew slightly higher, figuring he'd go check on Harry and Malfoy's progress on Trelawney's tower. He glanced briefly at his watch, and seeing that it was nearly time for their break, set across the sky. If they still had some areas to be charmed, he'd lend a hand, to help them all avoid Hermione's wrath at being late.  
  
He flew past the Astronomy Tower, studying the flowing golden lines for any breaks, and, not seeing any, flew lower to inspect the walkway nearby. Knowing that Harry had been one of the casters of the spell, he didn't expect to find any mistakes, and wasn't disappointed. It all looked perfect.  
  
He continued on his way over to Trelawney's tower, but a movement ahead caught his eye. Malfoy's bright hair was immediately distinguishable, and, curious despite himself, he lowered down onto a nearby window ledge to watch.  
  
It was still utterly beyond him what Harry saw in the blond-haired git, but he'd been studying them discretely - or rather, discretely for Ronald Weasley - and had to admit that they truly seemed to fit together. Ron didn't spend too much time thinking about exactly  _how_  they fit together, and the sight of them kissing or touching each other even casually was at times too much for him to handle, but he had to acknowledge that they did have something … well,  _special_. And that made his heart twist a little bit, because as much as he liked Mandy, what they had just didn't seem to even compare to what Harry and Malfoy were to each other.  
  
He was brought out of his thoughts by a laugh from Harry. It appeared that they'd finished charming the tower, and were now just floating lazily above their handiwork. As the golden spell light spread out across the tower's roof, Harry pulled his broom alongside Malfoy's and turned to face the blond. Ron couldn't hear what they were saying, but he heard another slight laugh from Harry, and an answering one from Malfoy at Harry's spoken response. Ron had never heard Malfoy laugh before, or at least, not without spite or hate coloring it, and the sound made him sit up a bit straighter. So  _this_  is what Malfoy sounded like when no one else was around.  
  
Mindful that he was eavesdropping, even though he couldn't exactly hear anything, Ron tucked himself more tightly against the glass of the window at his back. It wasn't often that he got to observe Harry and Malfoy when they were alone, and as long as they didn't start kissing and stuff, he figured he'd be all right. Hermione would be proud of him, he thought, for taking it upon himself to do some research.  
  
As Ron watched, Harry took one of Malfoy's hands and entwined their fingers together. His face was somber as he listened to Malfoy speak. Ron wished he could hear what they were saying, but couldn't risk leaving his perch without being seen, which would ruin the moment. Harry and Malfoy clearly thought they were alone - they were the only two assigned to this side of the castle this first go-round - and Ron knew that their interactions would change if they knew they were being watched. Especially by him.  
  
Mindful of his precarious footing on the ledge, Ron shifted slightly to get a better look. Malfoy had reached out his free hand and was cupping Harry's face in his palm, much as he had earlier on the stairs. In fact, this seemed like a continuation of that moment, because as Ron watched Malfoy leaned forward and kissed Harry fully on the mouth.  
  
And Harry melted into the kiss. There was no other word for it.  
  
And maybe watching them kiss wasn't really so awful, Ron decided a moment later, as they separated and Malfoy wrapped his free hand around Harry's shoulders, pulling him as close as their brooms and the awkward position of their bodies would allow. There was just something about them. Hermione had been right. They really  _were_  right for each other. Not that Hermione was ever wrong, Ron thought with a smile.  
  
He was pulled rather forcibly from his musings by a rap on the glass against his back. He jumped, nearly falling off the ledge, and bit his tongue to keep from shouting out. Turning around with a glare that could kill if looks could, he found himself face-to-face with a grinning Colin Creevey, who had his ever-present camera in his hand.  
  
Ron reached down and shoved the window open.  
  
"What?" he demanded quietly, aware that too much noise would attract Harry and Malfoy's attention. "You nearly gave me a bloody heart attack, you idiot!"  
  
Colin shrugged, and his smile slipped a bit. "Sorry, Ron. I just wanted to tell you that I got those pictures of you and Mandy developed. Do you want them now?"  
  
Ron drew in a deep breath to calm his still slightly-panicked breathing, and nodded. "I'll look at them, but then you'll have to take them back. We're not done out here and I don't really have anywhere to put them."  
  
Colin reached into his bag and withdrew several photos. Colin had taken the pictures on the sly - he was disconcertingly good at that - and Ron had demanded a copy of them once he'd realized they were being spied on.   
  
Ron took them and paged through. They'd been taken when the heat spell was still in effect, so he hardly looked his best. He and Mandy had been studying outside near the lake. Or rather, Mandy had been studying and Ron had been trying to figure out the best way to distract her. The photos definitely showed his persistence in getting Mandy's attention, Ron thought dryly. The final picture showed them finally kissing, which was the only way to forget about the heat, as far as he was concerned. Picture Ron had one hand tangled in Picture Mandy's blonde hair while the other worked determinedly to get the buttons of her dress open. Picture Mandy, on the other hand, kept swatting at the hand on her chest, and finally succeeded in locking their fingers together to stop his movements completely.  
  
Ron turned his head so that he could just see Harry and Malfoy floating above the tower, arms still wrapped around each other. He glanced again at the picture in his hand, and sighed. He wasn't exactly an expert on emotions - Hermione wasn't far off when she'd said he had the "emotional range of a teaspoon" - but even he could see the difference between the two images.  
  
"Thanks, Colin," Ron said, handing the photos back. Colin beamed at him as he slipped the pictures back into his bag.  
  
"No problem!" he said cheerfully. "Were they what you wanted?"  
  
"Yeah," Ron said. "But you make sure not to take any more. Not of me, or Hermione, or Harry, you hear?"  
  
Colin straightened up. "Yes, Sir!"  
  
Ron frowned at him. "None of that cheek."  
  
Colin gave him a lazy salute and walked down the corridor, leaving Ron with a frown still on his face.  
  
A gong sounded across the grounds and Ron cursed, launching himself onto his broomstick. He hurriedly closed the window and flew up to Harry and Malfoy, who had separated at the sound of the gong.  
  
Malfoy arched an eyebrow at him. "Where did you come from?"  
  
Ron hastily brushed aside the comment. "Oh, you know, I was just checking … something. We need to get down to the lawn now or Hermione'll have our heads."  
  
Harry grinned at him. "Nah, we'll make it. Race you!"  
  
And with that, Harry shot across the sky, Malfoy at his heels. Ron shook his head once, smiling, and followed after them.  
  
***  
  
Harry landed roughly, stumbling as his feet hit the hard ground. Draco landed just behind him, and Ron a distant third. He managed to keep his balance, although it was a near thing, and smiled up at Hermione as he righted himself.  
  
"Really, Harry," Hermione said, although there was a smile in her eyes.  
  
"What?" Harry asked straight-faced, then ruined it by grinning. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Did you finish?" she asked as he untwisted his cloak from his legs.  
  
"Yep, all three areas are completely done."  
  
He followed her over to the refreshment table. Draco had been caught by Pansy, who was thrusting a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits at him. Harry set his broomstick against the table, nodding his head in thanks as Dobby handed him a cup of tea. "How does everything else look?"  
  
"Lavender and Ron were doing checks on everyone's work from the air, and pitching in where they needed an extra hand. The professors were watching over the spellcasting from the ground. Lavender said everything she checked over looked good."  
  
Harry nodded and took a sip of his tea. "Good. Let's see what still needs to be done. I'm hoping we can get everything on the castle finished in the next two hours."  
  
Harry and Hermione set about getting status reports from everyone. It seemed like Harry's initial hope of being nearly finished after those first three hours wasn't far from the mark. There were still a lot of areas lower on the castle to charm, and a couple remaining towers, namely the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw ones, and then they could start on the front doors. Harry glanced at his watch. At this point, they could actually be through before lunch, which would be perfect, because then everyone could just come right outside after they were finished eating.  
  
Harry let everyone rest for a bit longer, sending Dobby and a few other house-elves around with plates of biscuits and small sandwiches, while he, Hermione, Ron and Lavender worked out the assignments for the remaining areas of the school.  
  
"Right, so Blaise and Ron can take Ravenclaw Tower. I'll take care of Gryffindor with Draco. Everyone else can start on the lower areas of the castle. Sound good?" Harry asked, and received nods in reply. "Excellent. Let's get started then."  
  
Hermione quickly relayed the assignments, talking briefly with McGonagall when she stopped to tell the professors what the plan was. There was a jumble as people took to the air or started heading across the grounds to the various parts of the castle. Two hours later on the dot, everyone had reassembled on the lawn, while the professors, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Lavender checked over the building for any remaining holes in the warding.  
  
"It all looks perfect," Ron finally said, and Harry grinned in relief.  
  
"That's great news, Ron." Harry sighed and scrubbed his hands over his eyes, dislodging his glasses briefly. "God, I'm tired."  
  
Ron made a noise of agreement. Dobby appeared then with two cups of tea, and handed one to each of them. Harry's was liberally doused with sugar, just as he liked it, and he hummed in appreciation.  
  
As Harry sipped his tea, his eyes sought out Draco, who was standing with the other three Slytherins, munching on a biscuit. He was glad that the mail procedures were being put into place, because he was worried that Lucius might try something, especially now that the castle was better-protected. He still felt a little uneasy, a feeling that he'd had off and on for the last several days. He glanced up at the sky; he'd feel a lot better once everything was in place.  
  
Sirius set a hand on his shoulder, bringing Harry's attention to him.   
  
"Minerva wants us to put the charms on each other straight away, then get inside for some lunch. Everyone looks like they're about to drop."  
  
Harry nodded. He cast a  _Sonorous_  on himself, and spoke. "If everyone could please get with their housemates, and Professors, if you could please stand over there by the stairs, we'll go ahead and finish up this first part. Then we can all go inside for a bit and rest. We still have a lot to do, unfortunately, and not a lot of time to do it in."  
  
Everyone moved at one time, once again causing some jostling and bumping. Harry heard Pansy complain about someone stepping on her foot, and there was a muttered curse from the group of Ravenclaws, but everyone managed to get where they were going.  
  
"It doesn't really matter how you divide this up," Harry said once everyone had stopped moving. "Just make sure everyone has the charm on them. Cast it on the person's head, and the spell light will travel down their bodies. If it doesn't reach all the way to their feet, please call for Ron or Lavender and they'll help you."  
  
Harry moved over to the other Gryffindors. "I'll do Ron, Ron can do Lavender. Lavender, you do Hermione, and Hermione can do me." As soon as he finished, he realized what he'd said, and flushed scarlet, earning some teasing laughs from his housemates. "Not like that, obviously."  
  
He carefully drew the design over Ron's head and watched with satisfaction as the golden light drifted down Ron's body to his feet. Ron murmured the incantation over Lavender, and Lavender did the same with Hermione. Hermione turned to Harry with her wand raised, then stopped.  
  
"What is it, Harry?" she asked quietly, as Ron and Lavender moved off to oversee the others.  
  
"Just a feeling. I can't seem to shake it."  
  
Hermione tilted her head thoughtfully. "What kind of feeling?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Like … foreboding. I don't know. Something just feels off. I've felt it for the last few days, really, ever since Dumbledore and I talked."  
  
Hermione nodded and then cast the spell. Harry closed his eyes as the charm washed over him.  
  
"All right?" she asked after he'd opened his eyes.  
  
"For now," he replied and received a solemn nod in reply.  
  
***  
  
Pansy worked her way through her third bowl of stew, ignoring the openly astonished looks from her housemates. Next to her, Blaise was on his fifth helping, and Tracey was working on her fourth piece of bread, another full helping of stew in front of her. Draco, likewise, was eating more than anyone had ever seen him eat in all their years of Hogwarts, and as they continued to eat their housemates' astonishment grew.  
  
"My God," Daphne said faintly. "Not even Crabbe and Goyle eat that much at lunch."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes, before wiping his mouth with his serviette. "Yes, well, it's not like they were outside doing all that spellcasting, either, were they?"  
  
Pansy grinned at his rather waspish tone before spooning more stew into her mouth. As she chewed she glanced around the Great Hall. The other members of the  _Adversarius_  were eating just as heartily, she noticed. As they were wont to do, her eyes landed on Potter, who was slowly chewing a piece of bread.   
  
While everyone else in the Great Hall seemed exuberant and energetic, Potter seemed as if he were thinking about something. She saw Weasley glance over at him and Granger shake her head in response. Curious as to what that was about, she caught Draco's eye and motioned briefly with her chin towards the Gryffindor trio.  
  
Draco looked across the room, hiding the look by taking a sip of his juice. He set his goblet down and leaned closer to her. His voice was low when he spoke.  
  
"He says he feels unsettled. Like something's about to happen."  
  
Pansy arched an eyebrow in response.  
  
"He said he's felt that way the last few days, since Fudge's speech on the Wireless. He's not sure what's going on."  
  
"Since when is he a Seer?" she asked. His feeling of discontent was something she herself usually felt before she had a vision about the Dark Lord, but as far as she knew only she and Mandy had any Seer ability.  
  
"He's not. Or at least, not like you are. I can't really explain it to you."  
  
Pansy understood then that whatever it was, it was something Potter had told Draco in confidence, and no matter how much she whined at him he still wouldn't tell her. So she let it go.  
  
The rest of the meal went by in silence, with Pansy still watching the trio from her spot across the room. Potter continued to eat quietly, only responding when asked a question by one of his housemates. She also noticed that Granger and Weasley left him alone.  
  
As the meal drew to a close, Potter stood up from the table and headed towards the staff table. He climbed up onto the dais, leaned over and spoke briefly with Dumbledore, and after receiving a nod in response to whatever he'd said, raised his hands to get everyone's attention.  
  
It never ceased to amaze Pansy at how easily he held the room's attention. With just a raise of his hands, all sound had stopped, almost like they'd been waiting for him to speak.  
  
"He could become the next Minister for Magic in a heartbeat," Pansy whispered.  
  
Draco's mouth quirked into a half-smile. "He could. But he won't." At Pansy's look of disbelief, he grinned fully. "He's not interested in anything to do with politics. So you'll have to pin your hopes on someone else."  
  
Pansy rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning her attention back to Potter.  
  
"I hope everyone had a nice meal," Potter said. "Unfortunately, we need to take care of some serious business after lunch. Everyone here at Hogwarts needs to immediately report to the front lawn after they've finished eating. You'll need to bring your familiars with you, and I ask that you please line up by house on the lawn. Prefects, if you could please help direct everyone in your houses to the appropriate place, it would be appreciated."  
  
There were murmurs around the Great Hall, so Potter raised a hand to quiet them. "If your familiar is an owl and they aren't currently here at the school, I need you to please write your name, and your owl's name, on the parchment over by the doors. We will take care of them when they return.  
  
"I know you have questions, and I'll do my best to answer them once we're assembled on the lawn. First and foremost I want to say that there's no reason to panic. Everything we're doing today is precautionary, so you don't need to worry about anything. Just follow your prefects' instructions and we'll all get finished with things as soon as possible and try to give you some time to relax."  
  
As Potter stepped down off the dais, Pansy stood, instantly gaining her housemates attention.  
  
"Who here hasn't got a familiar?" Pansy asked.  
  
A few hands went up here and there along the table, and Pansy nodded, glancing briefly at Draco. He was writing their names down on a piece of parchment.  
  
"All right, who here has an owl that isn't currently at school with them? And I don't mean you, Aubrey, so you can put your hand down right now. I mean those of you who have had an owl at school with them at some point during the school year. Not those of you who have one at home." She rolled her eyes as the dark-haired boy sulkily put his hand down. He liked to regale them all with stories about his "beautiful, fantastic owl" and how sad he was to have to leave her at home, but she was the only owl in the family, yadda yadda, and honestly, it just got ridiculous after a while.  
  
There were only five hands up this time, she noted, as Draco again wrote their names down.  
  
"Good, you five go write your names on the list by the door and then go outside. Those of you who don't have a familiar, go outside also. Everyone else, please go collect your familiars immediately and then proceed outside. Should your owl not be in the Owlery at this time, you'll also need to add your name to the list by the doors, and then tell Draco or myself. All right? Good. Let's go.  _Now_." Everyone jumped at the command, and Pansy watched, pleased, as they hurriedly exited the Hall.  
  
Draco stood next to her and regarded her with a fond look. "Power trip, much?"  
  
"Oh, shut up."  
  
Thirty minutes later she was standing at the front of her House line on the lawn, her cat, Acacia, cuddled to her chest. She'd brought her basket outside as well, but Acacia was frightened being around all these people, so Pansy held her tightly.  
  
Potter explained the process to everyone, saying that the  _Adversarius_  members had already been charmed, and they, along with the professors, would be placing the spells on everyone and their familiars. It wasn't anything that Pansy hadn't heard before, so she allowed her mind to wander just a bit as she scratched Acacia between her ears.  
  
When Potter finished speaking, Pansy felt Draco nudge her gently in the ribs.  
  
"How do you want to do this?" he asked.  
  
"I'll take the first years, you take the second years. Blaise can handle the third years, Tracey the fourth. Professor Snape can charm the fifth and sixth years. And then we'll all finish up the rest of them."  
  
Draco nodded, already drawing his wand. "Let me put the spell on Acacia, because then you can put her back inside where she'll be more comfortable." He carefully drew the intricate design over Acacia's head, and Pansy watched closely as the golden light spread down her snow-white body. When all four paws were glowing, Pansy placed her carefully into her basket and carried her back inside the Entrance Hall.  
  
When she returned outside Draco had just started on to the second years, so Pansy followed suit with the first years. It seemed to take forever to get the entire house finished, and her body was literally aching with exhaustion, but they finally completed everyone in Slytherin house. Pansy's final spellcasting was on Draco's owl, Nicodemus, who was regarding her with rather hostile eyes and looked likely to take a piece out of her hand.  
  
"He won't hurt you," Draco said, amused.  
  
"Sure he won't," Pansy replied, gingerly drawing the design over the owl's head. Nicodemus snapped at her, nearly catching the tip of her first finger, and Pansy hurriedly pulled her hand away, ignoring Draco's grin.  
  
"Vicious thing," she muttered, cradling her hand against her chest.  
  
Potter walked up then with his snowy white owl on his shoulder. Pansy turned to face him, carefully putting some distance between herself and Draco's murderous bird.   
  
Potter looked exhausted and gave her a faint smile. "All through?" he asked.  
  
"We're finished," Draco said, shifting as Nicodemus walked up his arm to his shoulder. "Is everyone else done?"  
  
"Nearly. Hermione's helping Justin finish up the last few Hufflepuffs."  
  
There was a look shared between the two, and Pansy turned her back on them, joining Blaise and Daphne. It was obvious that Potter wanted to talk to Draco and he most likely didn't want her there. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't listen in. She surreptitiously cast a charm to enhance her hearing.  
  
"Are you all right?" Draco asked softly.  
  
"I'm okay," Potter said, smiling slightly as his owl munched on a piece of his hair. "I still just feel a little out of sorts."  
  
Draco looked concerned. "Can I do anything to help?"  
  
Potter sighed. "I don't know. I don't think so. Although…." He trailed off and rubbed a hand over his face. His owl cooed at him and nuzzled against his head.  
  
"What?" Draco asked. "Just tell me, Harry."  
  
"Could I stay with you tonight? Just to sleep. I just don't feel right, and I don't want to be by myself." It was said in a rush, and Pansy could see the blush highlighting Potter's cheeks.  
  
"Of course you can," Draco whispered, and Pansy could see how desperately Draco wanted to reach out and touch Potter. He contented himself by brushing a hand over Potter's arm. "Bring your cloak, and I'll sneak you in."  
  
Potter nodded and scrubbed another hand over his face. "I'm going to take Hedwig back to the Owlery. Do you want me to take Nicodemus?"  
  
Pansy was about to open her mouth to say that Nicodemus was an inhuman beast, but closed it with snap as she saw Draco nod, and transfer Nicodemus to Potter's other shoulder without preamble. He settled right in and even tucked his head under his wing.  _Stupid bird_ , she thought.  
  
Draco caught her eye, almost as if he'd read her thoughts, and shrugged, that half-smile once again on his face. He watched as Potter weaved his way to the front steps and headed back inside.  
  
The rest of the evening passed quickly, for which Pansy was grateful. She managed to finish up her Transfiguration essay and then got ready for bed. Acacia curled into her side and Pansy was asleep within seconds.  
  
After what felt like only minutes, but was probably much longer, she bolted upright in her bed. Breathing deeply, she fought to hold on to what she'd seen. There were blurry images: Dementors floating through the night sky, Black and Shacklebolt shouting spells at a group of black-cloaked figures, a wolf's howl, the Dark Lord laughing maniacally over a prone figure at his feet, Lucius Malfoy holding a knife to Draco's throat, face twisted in hatred….  
  
And a date.  
  
Pansy flung off her covers and ran towards the door. She hastily tied her dressing gown and cursed the fact she'd forgotten her slippers in the rush, as the stone floors were freezing. She banged loudly on Draco's door.  
  
"Draco, open up! Hurry!"  
  
A bleary-eyed Draco greeted her, blond hair falling in his eyes.  
  
"Pansy?"  
  
"Draco, I've had a vision. I know when the Dark Lord is going to strike."  
  
Instantly the sleep was gone from Draco's face. Potter joined him in the doorway, face intent.  
  
It was Potter who asked, "When?"  
  
"Saturday. The next full moon."  
  
The color drained from Draco's already pale face. "Are you sure?" he asked, voice hoarse.  
  
"I'm sure," Pansy replied.  
  
"Well," Potter said after a moment. "Now we know."  
  
Pansy looked at him. "Will you … be ready?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
A determined look crossed his face, and Pansy remembered in that instant just whom she was talking to.  
  
"I'll be ready," he said.  
  
_(end chapter nineteen)_


	20. Chapter 20

Harry was sitting in the window seat of the Gryffindor boys' dorm as dawn broke. Crookshanks had somehow gotten into the room and was lying on Harry's lap, head in the bend of his elbow. Harry absently stroked his fur as he thought over everything that had happened the past week.  
  
There'd been Pansy's vision, and the sudden rush of panic at the thought of everything that would have to be done if they were to keep the school and its students safe from any impending battle. There'd been nightly meetings where the  _Adversarius_  members practiced their spellwork: sessions led by Blaise and Tracy, where they worked on the  _Contego_  shield; Charms sessions led by Lavender and Ron to reinforce defensive and offensive spells; meetings to discuss logistics. Then there'd been the house-led Charms drills, and even an Order meeting, although that was basically just to let everyone know what everyone else would be taking care of between then and Saturday, and what areas they'd cover during the battle. And, of course, they'd had to keep up with their classes during the day, and find time to complete their homework, so as not to cause suspicion. All of the members had been running on very little sleep the entire week which Harry was sure was a bad idea, but short of handing everyone a sleeping draught, couldn't be helped. There just simply weren't enough hours in the day.  
  
And now it  _was_  Saturday, and Harry was already up, having slept no more than a few hours, and even those precious few hours of sleep had only been attained when Draco had unceremoniously dragged him off to his private room and basically thrown him into the bed. He scrubbed a hand over his face and stood, dislodging Crookshanks from his lap. Since he was already up, he figured he might as well get ready to face the day. He gathered up some clothes and headed for the showers.  
  
As he reentered the dorm, Harry saw that Ron was awake, and Neville had started to stir. Ron nodded in greeting.  
  
"Did you sleep?"  
  
"A bit," Harry replied. "You?"  
  
"Some."  
  
They exchanged glances, and Ron gave a slight smile. "Give me a bit, yeah? We'll go down to breakfast together."  
  
Harry nodded, and settled back down in the window seat to wait. The morning had dawned gray and cold, adding an even more ominous feel to the day. Harry hoped that it wouldn't rain.  
  
Hermione joined them at the bottom of the stairs. "Did you two sleep okay?"  
  
Harry couldn't help it. He laughed. He stole a glance at Ron, who was also fighting back laughter, and promptly dissolved into even more laughter, the two of them basically clutching at each other for support until Hermione looked at them with concern.  
  
Harry drew in a deep breath and tried to get himself under control.  
  
"Sorry. It's just that he already asked me that this morning, and it's really kind of a stupid question, because I doubt I got any more sleep than you did, which you know was not a lot."  
  
Hermione looked slightly abashed. "Well, no. But I thought it polite to ask."  
  
Ron smiled at her, still laughing, and looped an arm around her shoulders. "And we appreciate that."  
  
Lavender was sitting on the sofa in the common room and, after exchanging greetings, she joined them as they headed to the Great Hall. The corridors were pretty much deserted, as there weren't too many early risers on Saturday, but when they entered the Great Hall they weren't surprised to see that those people who  _were_  up were members of the  _Adversarius_  and some of the staff.  
  
They started to head to the Gryffindor table out of habit, but Blaise stopped them.  
  
"Potter! Come over here. Everyone else, too."  
  
There was a general noise of movement as benches scrapped backwards and people came over to the Slytherin table. Justin Finch-Fletchley was looking at Blaise curiously, so he elaborated.  
  
"Since we're the only ones up so far, aside from the professors, who already know what I want to talk about, I thought we could hold a bit of an impromptu meeting."  
  
There were nods and murmurs of assent, and everyone sat down.  
  
"It's weird over here," Terry Boot said. "Completely different perspective than I'm used to."  
  
"That's because it's better," Pansy said with a smirk, spooning some honey into her porridge.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "What did you want to talk about, Blaise?"  
  
"I'd like some details. How's Dumbledore going to do this?" he asked. "You know, this afternoon. Or evening. Or whatever. Do we even know what time this is happening?"  
  
Morag, spreading jam on her toast, said, "Nine o'clock." Everyone turned to stare at her confusedly. She glanced up. "What?"  
  
"How….," Blaise started to say, then shook his head. "Never mind."  
  
"Nine o'clock," Pansy repeated. "Well. It's not like anyone's allowed outside anyway, so we won't have to worry about that. I guess we could always do the drill around seven, then, just to get everyone in their common rooms and accounted for?"  
  
Harry nodded. "I'm pretty sure that's the plan. Not that I've heard anything definite." He was very careful to keep any bitterness out of his voice, but wasn't sure he'd succeeded, as Hermione had placed a hand on his arm, and Draco had shot him a sympathetic smile.  
  
"How's your plant going, Macmillan?" Draco asked, changing the subject. "Have you got it set around the castle yet?"  
  
Harry had already heard the update from Ernie, so he tuned him out. There were other questions being asked around the table about everyone else's progress, but all Harry could focus on was the fact that all of this was happening  _tonight_  and Harry wasn't sure he was ready.  
  
But then again, could you ever be ready to kill someone? Even someone who deserved it? Harry wasn't so certain but also knew it wasn't a question anyone wanted to hear him ask.  
  
Harry suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him expectantly and he had no idea why.  
  
"What?" he asked blankly.  
  
"You're ready, right?" Tracey asked irritably. "I mean, since this whole thing revolves around you, I just thought it prudent to ask."  
  
Oh, right. They wanted assurances and platitudes. They wanted Harry to guarantee that everything would go just as they'd planned, that nothing would go wrong. Harry looked around at everyone and realized something else: they were scared. No, he corrected himself, not scared. They were  _terrified_.  
  
He looked at Hermione and Ron, who both gave him a small smile.  
  
"We are all ready," he said. "All of us. There isn't anything any of us could have done better." The fear didn't recede from their faces, so Harry realized he needed to do something else. Time to be blunt, he decided, taking a quick look around to make sure their small group was still alone, and stood up with his wand out.  
  
" _Incarcerous_!" he yelled, pointing his wand at Hannah.  
  
Without even thinking about it, Hannah conjured  _Contego_  and Harry's spell bounced off harmlessly into the wall. There were surprised looks, and Harry smiled.  
  
"See?" he asked. "You're ready."  
  
There were bursts of laughter around the table as Harry sat back down and he could feel that the tension in the air had lessened. Not entirely, but it was certainly better.  
  
He was just finishing his toast when Blaise stood up and threw a burning hex at him. Harry hardly had time to get his wand up, but did, and conjured a shielding spell. Blaise's hex bounced off, the glimmer of Harry's shield shimmering in the light. The hex hit the table, leaving a rather large char mark on the surface and the smell of burning wood in the air. Blaise nodded once in satisfaction and sat back down.  
  
"He's ready, too," he added needlessly. Hermione rolled her eyes and fixed the table with a murmured spell.  
  
"I keep forgetting you've done this before," Pansy said, looking at him over the rim of her cup.  
  
Harry smiled slightly but didn't respond.  
  
_Let's hope this is the last time_ , he thought.  
  
***  
  
As the Great Hall had started to fill with the other students, there were several curious looks cast at the group of students at the Slytherin table, all of which the Slytherins ignored in their typical style. The members of the  _Adversarius_ dispersed to their usual spots as more students came in, the Hufflepuffs moving with great speed after a particularly nasty look from Nott.   
  
Once everyone was settled, Draco realized that Harry had skipped out completely, and felt a slight flare of annoyance at his disappearance. He'd also snuck out before Draco had woken up that morning, and had hardly looked at him at all during breakfast, either. Something was obviously bothering him, and Draco wanted to know what it was. He got up from the table, ignoring Daphne's question about where he was going, and headed over to Hermione.  
  
"Do you have a minute, Granger?" he asked, aware that all eyes were on him the instant he appeared behind her.  
  
"I suppose," she said, closing her Transfigurations book. She looked at him curiously and he rolled his eyes.  
  
"Privately?"  
  
A look of recognition flared across her face and she gave a huff of laughter, nodding once. "Sure."  
  
Draco resisted the urge to haul her up off the bench, standing impatiently as she gathered up her things and stood.   
  
"Where to?" she asked.  
  
Draco shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Just … not here."  
  
She nodded again and led him out of the Hall, stopping at the foot of the stairs. There were still some stragglers coming down for breakfast, most of whom stared bemusedly at the duo at the bottom of the stairs; even though Draco and Hermione were getting along much better than previously, it was still odd for them to be spending any sort of time together.  
  
"You're looking for Harry, right?" she asked quietly after a group of Ravenclaws passed.   
  
Draco nodded. Lord, he must be really transparent.  
  
She gave a slight grin and gestured for him to follow her up the stairs. "I don't know exactly where he is, but I can find out for you. Follow me."  
  
Hermione was walking at a rather brisk pace and Draco realized he was one step short of running. "Is there a reason we're walking so fast?" he asked irritably.  
  
"Oh, sorry," she said. "I didn't realize. I was thinking about something else." Draco rolled his eyes but noticed that she did slow down a bit.  
  
They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, who looked at Hermione, aghast. "Surely you're not letting him in, dear?"  
  
"No, ma'am, he's waiting out here."  
  
The Fat Lady gave a nod, then leaned forward. "Password?" she whispered, and Draco let out a snort of laughter.  
  
Hermione whispered something and the portrait hole opened up. "I'll be right back," she told Draco.  
  
As she disappeared Draco leaned against the wall, rubbing slightly at his temples with his fingertips. He could feel a slight headache coming on and wondered if he ought to visit Pomfrey to get a pain relieving potion from her. The Fat Lady was looking at him with open curiosity written on her face, but he turned his back, ignoring her. He'd moved on to doing Arithmancy calculations in his head - honestly, what was taking her so long? - when the portrait swung open again and Hermione climbed out into the corridor.  
  
"He's in the Owlery," she said without preamble.  
  
Draco dropped his hands and tilted his head slightly. "How do you know that?"  
  
"Um," she said, flushing pink. "Well, there's this thing that Harry has…." She trailed off, then shook her head. "You know what? I'm not going to tell you. Ask Harry."  
  
Draco remembered his conversation with Lupin the day Harry and Pansy had gotten thrown out of the library, and said, "Is it the map Lupin mentioned?"  
  
Hermione blinked. "Professor Lupin told you about the map?"  
  
"Not exactly. He told me Harry  _had_  a map, and that I should ask him about it." He noticed that Hermione was holding a rather old bit of parchment, although she was trying to keep it out of sight behind her. He gestured at it and said, "Is that the map?"  
  
Hermione bit her bottom lip, then nodded. "Yes. I'm not really supposed to have it, I don't think. It belongs to Harry. I just … borrowed it."  
  
"Tell you what," Draco said, "you give it to me, and I'll not mention how I got it. I want to know what it's all about anyway, and since I'm going to see Harry I might as well ask him."  
  
"I don't care if you tell him," Hermione said. "He'll probably guess anyway. But it won't work for you," she cautioned. "You have to have the password."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Sounds complex."  
  
"Yes," she murmured, then seemed to make up her mind. "Okay. Here it is."  
  
Draco took the parchment from her hand, turning it over to examine it. "It's completely blank."  
  
She grinned at him then and gave a laugh. "As far as you know, yes."  
  
He tilted his head in acknowledgement then tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks, Hermione."  
  
She waved at him as he turned and headed toward the Owlery. He decided that his headache wasn't as bad as he'd originally thought and decided to bypass the Hospital Wing. Besides, Pomfrey would just fuss at him and he really could do without that.  
  
He climbed the stairs to the Owlery, pausing in the doorway when he heard Harry's voice, although he couldn't make out exactly what he was saying until he stepped into the room.  
  
"… if I can do this," Harry was murmuring to Hedwig, who was standing on his arm, nuzzling her face against his hair.  
  
Harry was seated on the window ledge, looking outside onto the castle grounds. He was stroking Hedwig's feathers softly, and she was hooting at him in response.  
  
"I can't even cast the  _Cruciatus_  curse," Harry continued softly. "How am I supposed to cast the killing curse when I can't even summon enough hate to cast  _Crucio_?"  
  
Ah. So that's what was bothering him. Draco should have realized it was something like that and felt rather stupid that he hadn't figured it out. Harry had always gotten twitchy when anyone would mention the Unforgivables.  
  
Hedwig obviously didn't have any response for him, and Harry sighed. "Fate of the world resting on my shoulders, indeed," Harry muttered.  
  
Draco decided that was quite enough self-pity, and cleared his throat. Harry jumped at the sound, startling Hedwig, who hooted indignantly and flew up to her perch. Harry spun toward the sound, wand already held aloft, then relaxed slightly as he saw who it was.  
  
"Draco," he murmured, tucking his wand away before scrubbing his hands across his face, briefly dislodging his glasses. "You scared me."  
  
"Sorry," Draco said.  
  
"No you're not," Harry said with a ghost of a smile. "How'd you find me?"  
  
He pulled the tattered parchment out of his pocket in response and held it out to Harry. Harry took it, surprise written on his face. "How did you get this? It was in my trunk."  
  
"I didn't," Draco said. "Hermione got it for me when she realized I was looking for you. I don't know exactly what this old piece of parchment is, but Lupin mentioned you had a map."  
  
Harry blinked. "Um. Okay." He looked down at the parchment in his hands, then shook his head. "No. Wait.  _What_?"  
  
Draco laughed slightly, then reached to wrap his fingers around Harry's wrist, pulling him into a hug. "Lupin mentioned that you had a map, that day when you and Pansy got thrown out of the library. He told me to ask you about it. Hermione had this in her hands when she told me where you were, and I just sort of put two and two together."  
  
"Oh," Harry said, returning the hug after a moment of hesitation. He sighed, resting his forehead against Draco's. "Want to see how it works, then?"  
  
Draco nodded, curiosity overruling anything else. "Show me." It came out more like a demand than a request, causing Harry to give a small laugh.  
  
Harry pulled back and drew out his wand. He held it over the parchment, saying, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."  
  
Draco watched in amazement as a map unfolded before his eyes. The whole of Hogwarts was laid out on the parchment, and he realized that you could actually see everyone in the school. His eyes focused on the Slytherin common room, seeing dots for Daphne and Millicent, and a bit further away a dot labeled "Pansy Parkinson" pacing back and forth in what was probably her room. He saw Professor Snape in his classroom, Filch patrolling the halls on the second floor, and Dumbledore in his office. He scanned the parchment before finding the Owlery, and seeing his and Harry's dots standing nearly on top of each other, looked up wide-eyed and said, "Wow."  
  
Harry smiled slightly. "Yeah."  
  
"How did you get this?" Draco asked, taking the parchment out of Harry's hands for a closer look.  
  
"Fred and George gave it to me third year. I wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmeade because my uncle refused to sign my permission slip after I blew up my aunt, and I guess they thought it was a bit unfair or something. Or they just wanted to cause trouble."  
  
"Hmm," Draco said, still looking avidly at the map. A dot labeled "Zacharias Smith" was standing quite close to one labeled "Anthony Goldstein", and Draco smirked. This map could be lots of fun, he thought, and he watched as the dots moved even closer. He then realized what Harry had said, and looked up from the map. "You blew up your  _aunt_?"  
  
Harry shrugged noncommittally. "It was an accident."  
  
Draco filed that away to discuss another time, and handed the map back to Harry. "How do you turn it off?"  
  
"Mischief managed," was Harry's reply, and the map went blank.  
  
"Wow," Draco said again. "That map is amazing, Harry." Remembering the names he'd seen along the top of the map he asked, "Who were Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs? Do you know?"  
  
That got a real smile out of Harry, who said, "Moony is Professor Lupin. Padfoot is Sirius, Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew, and Prongs, well, Prongs was my dad."  
  
"Your dad made this?" Draco knew he sounded incredulous, but the magic and ingenuity that had to have gone into the map was crazy to think about. He'd seen a lot of astonishing things in his seventeen years in the magical world, but this map definitely topped nearly all of them.  
  
"Yep. They called it the Marauder's Map. That's why Lupin knew about it. He took it from me third year when everyone thought Sirius was out to kill me, but gave it back when he resigned. He told me he could do it in good conscience because he was no longer my professor. And now, well, I guess he knows I'll keep it safe, so doesn't feel bad about letting me have it, even if it  _has_  allowed me to roam the halls without being detected, and gotten me into various bits of trouble over the years."  
  
Deciding that this was yet another conversation to save for a later time, Draco nodded. "Okay, so Lupin's pretty brilliant after all."  
  
Harry grinned. "I told you he was."  
  
Loathe as he was to change Harry's mood, Draco knew they needed to talk about what he'd overheard, and the reason Harry had disappeared twice this morning. He lightly grasped Harry's wrist again, tugging him back toward the window seat to sit. He cast a quick Cleaning charm before sitting down, pulling Harry to sit next to him. Realizing that it was nearly freezing in the Owlery, he also cast a quick warming charm and sighed in relief as the temperature rose. Harry seemed to know what he wanted to talk about, and the smile disappeared from his face.  
  
"How much did you overhear, then?" he asked.  
  
"Enough," Draco replied. "If something's bothering you, you should talk to me about it. I can offer an opinion, whereas your owl is rather limited in her response."  
  
Harry gave a slight laugh. "I suppose so."  
  
Draco folded his hands in his lap, unsure if Harry wanted to be touched. Harry was fiddling with the map, picking nervously at one corner, but Draco just waited him out. He knew Harry would eventually get up the nerve to say what was on his mind.  
  
"Have you ever cast the Killing curse?"  
  
Draco blinked. That hadn't been what he was expecting. "No. I've cast the other two, but not that one. You have to really mean it."  
  
"You have to really mean it for all of them, Draco."  
  
"True. But the Killing curse is sort of in a league of its own, as Pansy would say."  
  
Harry sighed. "I know. I can't do it. I can't cast any of them, but I really can't cast that one."  
  
Draco decided that he didn't care if Harry wanted to be touched or not, and reached out a hand, stilling the one that had still been plucking at the map. Harry's hand was cold, and Draco covered it completely with his own. "There are other ways to kill someone besides the Killing curse, Harry. I'm sure you know that. I can think of a whole list of spells that would serve this purpose. But I don't think your inability to cast the Unforgivables - which is a  _good_  thing, Harry, make no mistake - is really the issue. So what's this really about?"  
  
Harry turned his hand so that their fingers entwined. "I was thinking about what Tracey said at breakfast. How this whole battle tonight revolves around me. It's not like I needed her reminding me, or anything, but she has a point. Everyone expects me to kill him, Draco. And…." Harry trailed off, looking up, fingers tightening against Draco's own. "And I'm just not sure I can," he finally said, voice very quiet. "He deserves it, God knows, but when it comes down to it, I'm not sure I can stand there and take another person's life. Even a person like Voldemort."  
  
Draco leaned back against the window frame and thought for a moment. He'd thought this might have been an issue and was kicking himself for not talking to Harry about it sooner. But he was at as much of a loss now as he had been when the thought had first crossed his mind, still unsure of what to say. Although he did have one question.  
  
"What makes you think you have to kill him?"  
  
Harry released a breath and slumped down, looking perplexed. "I don't know. I guess it's just the way Dumbledore's been talking, and all the extra training I've been having to do. I just … assumed."  
  
"But he's never actually said that you're the one, right?" Draco pressed.  
  
"No," Harry said, and Draco could see that he was thinking back over anything and everything that had ever been said to him on the subject of Voldemort. "No, he never said anything like that, now that I think about it."  
  
Draco nodded like that solved everything. Harry saw him and rolled his eyes. "Tonight still has quite a bit to do with me, Draco, even if I don't have to be the one to cast the final curse."  
  
"Sure. He's quite obsessed with you, if you ask me. Do you think you'll have to duel him?"  
  
Harry released Draco's hand and pulled his glasses off, rubbing at his eyes. "I don't know. The last time he tried that it didn't work so well."  
  
"Right,  _Priori Incantatem_. I remember hearing my father mention that."  
  
"You remember hearing your father mention that," Harry repeated. "I wasn't aware that my duel with Voldemort was a subject you'd discussed with your father."  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. "He wasn't talking to me, you prat. He was talking to Snape. They were in the drawing room and I may have been hiding in the fireplace at the time and accidentally overheard them. Snape wasn't at the graveyard that night, so my father was filling him in, as this was prior to his spy status being discovered."  
  
"What were you doing in your fireplace?" Harry asked.  
  
"Oh. Well, there was this Sticking charm that I'd read about in a book in my father's library, that was supposed to allow you to stick to surfaces like walls and whatnot and let you climb up or down them. It was hot in the house, so the fireplaces weren't lit, and I figured it might be a good place to try the spell out. Of course, I don't think I got it quite right, because I ended up stuck fast to the stone. It took two house-elves plus my mother to get me down." Draco realized that Harry was fighting back a smile and gave a half-smile of his own. "Don't even say anything, Harry. It wasn't funny."  
  
Harry's mouth quivered with suppressed laughter. "I'm sure it wasn't," he finally managed, his voice tinged with humor.  
  
Wanting to get the subject off his past humiliations (his father had been most unimpressed with Draco's attempt at the Sticking charm), he returned the topic to that evening's upcoming events. "So. You don't think you'll have to duel, and you don't have to kill him yourself. But something is still bothering you, Harry, so let's have it."  
  
The humor disappeared from Harry's face completely, and he stood up quickly, tucking the map into his robe pocket. He didn't say anything, instead walking over to the other window and leaning his elbows against the sill. Draco stayed seated, guessing that Harry needed some distance.  
  
"Do you know how many times I've put my friends in danger?" Harry finally asked, voice very soft.  
  
"Not an exact number, no," Draco said. "Double-digits?"  
  
Harry huffed in annoyance, turning his head to look at Draco. When he spoke his voice was sharp. "This isn't a joke, Draco." He had his hands folded together and Draco could see that his fingers were turning white from the pressure. "The point is that I've put them into situations they shouldn't have had to be involved in countless times, and I'm about to do it again. Only this time, it's not just my friends. It's every single bloody person I care about. Forgive me if I'm unable to laugh it off or pretend like today is just another normal day. Because it's not."  
  
Draco bowed his head briefly in acknowledgement. It had been stupid to try to be humorous about all this when it was obviously worrying Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry."  
  
Harry sighed and put his face in his hands. "Forget it."  
  
Draco stood, fidgeting with the edge of his robe. He didn't often have to comfort people and wasn't always sure what to do. Usually a hug and kiss would fix Harry's mood, but this was rather extenuating circumstances. Still, he supposed he could try.  
  
"Come here," Draco murmured.  
  
Harry sighed again as he straightened up. "There isn't really anything you can say, Draco, although I appreciate the effort."  
  
"Harry," Draco said patiently. "Shut up for a minute and just come here."  
  
Harry did, albeit rather slowly, like he was going to face an inquisition. He stopped directly in front of Draco and just stared at him. Draco looked him over closely, from the shadows beneath his eyes to the tension in his jaw, and the tiredness and fear he was trying to hide in his eyes. Not knowing what to say, and realizing there was little he  _could_  say that would help, he simply pulled Harry close and wrapped his arms around him. Harry sighed into the side of his neck, resting his face in the area where Draco's neck met his shoulder, and finally returned the embrace, arms coming up to wrap around Draco, hands fisting in the material of his robe.  
  
They stood that way for a moment before Draco spoke.  
  
"It will all be fine, Harry," he finally said. Harry made a noise of disagreement, but Draco shushed him. "It will. I'll be right there beside you, and you'll have Hermione and Weasley, both of whom are quite good at their charms, at your back. The adults all know what they're doing. We're as prepared as we possibly can be, you said so yourself at breakfast.  
  
"And besides," he added. "I told you once before that this wasn't just your fight, that all of us -  _all_  of us, Harry - chose this. We wanted to be involved, and we're ready. For anything. And while Tracey may have had a point that this evening has quite a bit to do with you personally, she was wrong to insinuate that it had  _everything_  to do with you. We're fighting for our freedom, and our lives. And as a Slytherin who is quite concerned with the idea of self-preservation, I certainly am not leaving my life in the hands of others. After all, if you want something done right, you should do it yourself."  
  
That got another slight laugh from Harry, who brought his head up so he could look Draco in the face. "Is that another line from Pansy?"  
  
"Yes. I'm afraid my vocabulary is quite full of Muggle phrases, thanks to her."  
  
Harry gave him a half-smile before he turned pensive. "You mentioned that you'd be there. To be honest, that's one of the things I'm worried about. Pansy told me about her vision, Draco. She told me that Lucius had a knife to your throat."  
  
"I do believe it was a dagger, actually."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, the action speaking louder than any words, and Draco laughed. "Sorry. Anyway, it's not a concern. I've been brewing huge batches of the Invincibility potion, as you know. I'll make sure I take some before anything starts, and have an extra bottle on me just in case. I'll be fine, Harry. I promise."  
  
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Draco."  
  
Draco  _tsk_ ed and said rather imperiously, "I'll have you know that I usually refrain from making promises unless I know for certain that I can keep them."  
  
"Good to know," Harry murmured, leaning forward to kiss Draco. The gentle kiss grew stronger and they were snogging quite heatedly when the ring around Draco's finger warmed up, signaling a message via the  _Protean_  charm that Hermione had put on them. Harry's had obviously done the same, as he pulled back and looked at his right hand, eyes focusing on the words that had appeared on the ring.  
  
"It's Hermione," Harry said. "Dumbledore's called a meeting."  
  
They disentangled themselves from each other and Draco used his wand to straighten out their robes. Harry gave a last caress to Hedwig's feathers before they headed out the door, down to the meeting.  
  
***  
  
Dinner that night was a rather tense, stilted affair, at least for Pansy. She forced herself to put food in her mouth and swallow, not tasting anything and hoping it wouldn't all just come right back up. Next to her sat Blaise, who was uncharacteristically fiddling with his juice goblet with one hand while the fingers of the other tapped out a rhythm known only to him. Draco was meticulously cutting his roast beef into smaller and smaller pieces and then decidedly  _not_ eating them, and Tracey was pushing her carrots back and forth across her plate like a small child who hadn't yet learned proper table manners. Their behavior was completely un-Slytherin-like, but she supposed that really couldn't be helped.  
  
The meeting that afternoon had been nerve-wracking. Dumbledore had told them that they would, indeed, be performing the lockdown drill directly after dinner, and would be going through the usual drill of charming the students into their common rooms and then searching down those who had tried to hide. Once everyone was found and safely returned to their dormitories, they would pull any students of majority age who wanted to participate in the battle - as they'd been doing in the drills the entire week - and come down to the Great Hall, where it would be revealed that this was not, in fact, a drill at all. Any students who had a sudden change of heart would be secluded in the Charms classroom, as the knowledge of the battle wasn't to be revealed to the rest of the students until it was absolutely necessary.  
  
Pansy had to admit that the idea of hiding in the school was tempting. She knew she'd most likely find her father on the battlefield and wasn't really looking forward to having to face him down. She knew the other Slytherins were thinking along the same lines - all of them had given up their families for their beliefs - but knew that, like herself, they'd all be out there when the time came.  
  
Pansy glanced up, pulled from her thoughts as Blaise nearly knocked his juice over onto her plate. A bit farther down the table, sandwiched between Goyle and Millicent, sat Theo Nott. He looked like he was having trouble staying seated; he kept bouncing up slightly in his seat before sitting back down gingerly. Pansy decided to focus on his strange behavior instead of the increasing fear that kept bubbling up inside her; better to focus on someone else's problems, after all.  
  
"What's the matter, Theo, did someone hex you in the arse with  _Acer Postulo_?"  
  
That got Draco's attention. He snorted with laughter as he set down his knife and looked along the table to Theo, who flushed bright red. His response got a chuckle from Blaise, who finally put his goblet down and smirked in Theo's direction.  
  
"Sticking your arse in somewhere it wasn't wanted, Theo?" Blaise asked suggestively.  
  
Even Tracey let out a snort at that, eyes sparkling with mirth as she looked across the table at Blaise, who winked.  
  
"I can't imagine that anyone would want an arse like that, can you?" Draco asked snidely.   
  
"I certainly wouldn't," Pansy said bluntly. "I prefer a man with more … substance."  
  
At that Tracey lost the control she'd had on her laughter and cracked up, causing the entire group of seventh years to erupt in hilarity. And  _oh_ , it felt good to laugh like this after the seriousness that had been following her around all day and weighing her down. There were tears running down her face and she realized that she wasn't even laughing at Theo any longer, who was shooting them all absolutely murderous looks; it had nothing to do with Theo at all.  
  
Mandy and Terry were twisted entirely around in their seats to look at the Slytherin table, eyes wide. In fact, Pansy realized as she hauled air into her lungs, trying to curb her giggles, the entire Hall had fallen silent, and everyone had turned to try to see what was going on.  
  
Draco was still chuckling with mirth, hand over his mouth to stifle his amusement, and Blaise had practically fallen off the bench next to her, a hand on her arm the only thing keeping him in his seat.  
  
"We'll see who has the last laugh," Theo hissed, elbowing a chortling Millicent as he stood up from his seat.  
  
Pansy tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling, trying in vain to get her laughter under control. The laughter was finally mostly curtailed by Dumbledore, who chose that moment to speak.  
  
"Mr. Nott, if you would please return to your seat, I'm afraid I can't have anyone leaving the Great Hall just yet."  
  
Theo shot a dark look at Dumbledore, who returned the look with a serene expression. Realizing he couldn't very well ignore a direct request from the Headmaster, he sullenly sat back down. However, this time he chose a seat at the very end of the table, next to a first year girl named Clara, who looked at him curiously.  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Nott," Dumbledore said. "If everyone would please finish eating quickly, we need to practice our emergency lockdown drill again. I realize that we've been having these drills quite often this past week, but the prefects and staff have been ironing out a few kinks in the process. We're fairly certain that we've finally figured out how to execute it perfectly, though, so need your help just one more time. Hopefully after this evening we can put the drill away until it is absolutely needed."   
  
That effectively ended any remaining laughter and Pansy felt herself tense. She glanced at her watch:  _6:45_. Two hours and fifteen minutes until her vision became a reality.  
  
"You all know the drill by now," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Prefects, please escort your housemates to their common rooms."  
  
Pansy stood along with Draco, who gave her a tight nod. The fifth and sixth year prefects also stood. Pansy made a point to erase all emotion from her face; as this was supposedly only a drill it wouldn't do to show her nerves.  
  
"You heard the Headmaster," Pansy said, slightly more sharp than she'd meant to. "Let's go."  
  
She caught Draco's eye and jerked her chin in Theo's direction; he was trying to slip out while they weren't looking.  
  
"Nott, don't even think about it," Draco said clearly. "You're going to be in the front of the bunch."  
  
Theo's jaw clenched but he finally shrugged, moving along the table to stand next to Pansy. "Whatever."  
  
Draco looked at him sharply. "Don't try anything funny."  
  
Theo didn't reply, but there was a smirk on his lips. "Sure, Draco."  
  
Pansy finally got the group of Slytherins moving with a few well-placed elbows and they made their way to the dungeons and finally into the common room. The younger students disappeared to their dorms as usual, the seventh years settling themselves on the sofas. Those sixth years that were old enough to participate in a hypothetical battle also stayed in the common room.  
  
Only one sixth year prefect, Marcel Harper, was old enough to participate, so he joined Pansy and Draco out in the corridor. Draco muttered the charm to seal the entrance to the common room; a flash of blue light told them he'd done it correctly. Pansy then completed the final step, casting  _Invenio Desideror_. Just as she finished, Professor Snape appeared from the opposite end of the corridor, a parchment popping into his hands with the names of any missing Slytherins.  
  
"Only three," he said, glancing over the list. "Asteria Greengrass, Anastasia Vaisey and Graham Pritchard."  
  
"Graham was at dinner," Marcel said. "He was sitting right next to me."  
  
Snape gave a curt nod. "Let's take the list to the Great Hall."  
  
When they reentered the Hall they saw Potter and Granger standing over a piece of old parchment. Potter was scanning the parchment while Granger read off the names from the list in her hand.  
  
"Scarlett Fawcett," Granger said, glancing over Potter's shoulder.  
  
"Kitchens," Potter replied after a moment.  
  
"Orla Quirke?"  
  
"Same. Ingrid Carmichael's in there, too. And so is Alfred Chambers."  
  
"Okay, that takes care of the Ravenclaws," Granger said, returning the list to Professor Flitwick, who headed off to gather up his missing students.  
  
"Needed a bit of after-dinner dinner?" Draco asked, amused.  
  
Potter straightened with a slight grin. "Who knows?"  
  
"How do you know where they are?" Pansy demanded.  
  
Potter shrugged easily. "It's a secret."  
  
Pansy tried to climb up on the dais to see what they'd been looking at, but Granger scooped the parchment up into her arms, and Draco further halted her progress by grabbing her around the elbow.  
  
"Here's the Slytherin list," Snape said sourly, pushing past them. "Do find them in due haste."  
  
Potter rolled his eyes but acquiesced, turning back to the parchment that Granger had placed back on the table.  
  
"Pritchard's outside your common room," Potter said after another minute. "Looks like Asteria and Anastasia are in the loo outside the Charms classroom."  
  
Snape nodded once. "Come," he said to Marcel, and the two of them headed out.  
  
Potter turned around so that he was resting against the edge of the table. "Just waiting for the Hufflepuffs, then we can move on."  
  
Pansy sat on the dais, hands folded together in her lap. Professor Sprout finally appeared with a list; there were two Hufflepuff second years missing, but Potter located them in yet another toilet, and Sprout set out to get them.  
  
Pansy glanced at her watch again:  _7:35_. Draco saw her looking at it and caught one of her hands, squeezing it slightly before releasing it.  
  
"Breathe, Pansy," he murmured. "It'll be all right."  
  
Pansy rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, breathing once deeply. She continued to lean against Draco until the Hall started to fill with those students who said they wanted to fight - hypothetically speaking, of course - before finally standing as Professor Snape returned with the Slytherins. She was slightly surprised to see Nott among them, and was again distracted by the shifty look on his face.  
  
"Something's up with Theo," she whispered to Draco, who pulled his gaze away from Potter to look.  
  
"Hmm," he said. "We'll need to watch him, I think."  
  
"You think he's on the Dark Lord's side, then?" Pansy asked quietly.  
  
"Wouldn't surprise me one bit," Draco replied, just as softly.  
  
Pansy sighed. "I really hope he's not. I've known him since we were little."  
  
Draco made a sound of acknowledgement, but didn't say anything. They were all distracted by the appearance of Dumbledore, who was leading in the members of the Order of the Phoenix. The students that had volunteered to fight sat up a little straighter; it looked like they'd finally cottoned on that this wasn't another instance of "just in case", as the Order members had never been present for any of their previous drills.  
  
"If I can have your attention, we have a rather serious matter to discuss," Dumbledore said, motioning for everyone to be seated. "I'm afraid that this is not a drill."  
  
***  
  
The silence that followed Dumbledore's announcement was profound. Draco felt Pansy tense next to him and ran a hand soothingly down her arm. They'd known this was coming, but the straight-forwardness of the announcement had slightly thrown him; Dumbledore wasn't exactly known for getting straight to the point.  
  
As the members of the Order moved toward the antechamber off the Great Hall, Dumbledore gestured toward the four students still sitting on the dais, motioning for them to stand, before turning to talk to Shacklebolt. Draco did so, pulling Pansy up with him, and followed Harry and Hermione to some empty spots at the Ravenclaw table. Harry sat across from Draco, Hermione next to him, and they were joined a few seconds later by Weasley, who sat on Harry's other side.  
  
"Ginny's hacked off," Weasley whispered. "She's not seventeen yet so I didn't let her come down; Mum would've had my head if I had. Not sure how she knew, but she could tell that this was the real deal."  
  
"She probably could have helped us," Harry said quietly. "She knows the Patronus charm. But I feel better knowing she won't be in the middle of anything."  
  
"Me, too," Weasley said. "It's bad enough the rest of my family's involved."  
  
Harry winced and Draco wanted to kick Weasley in the shins. Talk about being thick-headed.  
  
"Teaspoon, Ron," Hermione said exasperatedly. Draco didn't know what she meant, but Weasley clearly did, as he immediately flushed bright red.  
  
"Oh. Sorry, Harry," he said, apologetic. "You know that wasn't really what I meant."  
  
"Forget it," Harry muttered.  
  
The conversation was interrupted by Fred and George Weasley, who had entered with the other Order members and taken seats next to Draco. Draco couldn't tell them apart on the best of days, and it seemed they'd gone out of their way to confuse him even further, as both were dressed identically in black robes. Draco wasn't sure why they were sitting with them instead of heading back to the antechamber like all the other Order members, but the question was answered by one of them seconds later.  
  
"We're staying with you," one of them declared. "We don't really want to be adults."  
  
That got a smile out of Harry, who said, "No, of course not."  
  
"Besides," the other twin continued, "they're discussing strategies and whatnot. You'd think they were all Ravenclaws, the way they keep going on about proper steps to take and military order and all that rot. Everyone knows Gryffindors do better when they just rush headlong into danger."  
  
"Bellowing war cries and waving around swords?" Pansy asked deadpan.  
  
Draco hid his laughter with a cough as Fred or George or whichever one it was said, "Exactly!"  
  
"Anyway, Harry," the other one said, "we brought some things we think you'll like. Enough to cause some Death Eater distractions, I should think."  
  
Harry smiled. "That's great, George. I'll look them over in a bit."  
  
Dumbledore had turned back around to face the Hall, and their small group fell quiet.   
  
"As I said before, this is not another drill. We have it on good authority that Voldemort-" and here he paused for the requisite shudders and exclamations at the mention of the Dark Lord's name, "-and his Death Eaters will attack Hogwarts tonight. At this time I need everyone present to decide whether they wish to take part in the altercation or if they would prefer to remain in the castle under its protection. If you wish to fight, please remain seated. If you do not wish to participate in the battle, please move over to the door to the Great Hall. Professor Flitwick will escort you to the Charms classroom, as I am afraid that we cannot allow you to return to your dormitories."  
  
There was some shifting before a few people from each table stood and moved toward the door. All in all it looked like the majority of the students still planned on fighting. Draco was not surprised to see Nott in the group at the door and wondered once again what he was up to, as he had never even left the common room during all the other drills.  
  
"Why did Theo even come down here?" Pansy whispered, voicing Draco's thoughts.  
  
Draco shook his head. "I don't know."  
  
After a nod from Dumbledore, Flitwick led the students out. Dumbledore stepped up to the Ravenclaw table and spoke to Harry.  
  
"I would like you to take the students who have remained over to the far side of the Great Hall," he said. "You need to determine who can do the Patronus charm and who cannot and partner them accordingly. Also, I believe the products the Weasley twins have brought along will be useful."  
  
Fred and George grinned. "Dead useful," one of them quipped.  
  
"Sir, I'd like to know what's being discussed between the Order members," Harry said. "I feel that I have a right to know."  
  
"You will," Dumbledore assured him, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "But at this time it is more important for you to help your fellow students."  
  
Harry sighed. "Yes, Sir."  
  
Dumbledore moved back toward the antechamber as Harry stood. Instantly all eyes were upon him.  
  
"We need to determine everyone's strengths," Harry said. "Please move to the back of the Hall. Ron, Lavender, get a few others to help you move the tables, please."  
  
There was a distinct rise in the noise level as people stood and Ron, Lavender, Padma and Ernie began levitating the tables so that they were out of the center of the floor. Draco stepped next to Harry, who turned to look at him.  
  
"Can you cast the Patronus?"  
  
"Yes," Draco answered.  
  
"Show me," Harry said.  
  
Draco nodded once, then closed his eyes, bringing the image of the way Harry had looked underneath him that night in the Room of Requirement, with the moonlight slanting through the window and falling across his face.  
  
" _Expecto Patronum_!"  
  
Out from Draco's wand burst a silver fox, who circled around once before sitting primly. It cocked its head sideways, looking back at Draco, who looked back at it in confusion. His Patronus hadn't been a fox last he'd checked. It was only a split second later that he realized exactly which fox it was.  
  
"Isn't that you?" Pansy asked, amused. "I've never heard of someone's Patronus being themselves. It's a bit egotistical, no?"  
  
Draco shook his head but didn't reply, and also didn't look at Harry, who was peering closely at the fox. Draco knew that it would only be a second or two before Harry realized exactly whose form it was, and it was decidedly  _not_ Draco's.   
  
"Harry, we've got the tables—" Weasley cut off with a gasp as he saw the fox; clearly he knew exactly whose shape Draco's Patronus took after, too. "Blimey," he murmured, staring at the fox.  
  
Harry went down on his knees in front of the Patronus, fingers reaching out and just barely skimming over its head. He looked up at Draco with an unreadable expression; there were way too many emotions flickering over his face for Draco to decipher.  
  
They were interrupted by a loud bang and an explosion of fireworks over their heads. Draco jumped, colliding roughly into Pansy, who tripped over her robe and fell, taking Draco down with her.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Pansy demanded, rubbing at the spot on her ribcage where Draco's elbow had jabbed her.  
  
"Sorry!" one of the twins shouted. "Box must've not been shut all the way."  
  
"Your distractions?" Harry asked mildly. He was still on the floor, but Draco's Patronus had disappeared when he'd lost concentration, leaving him kneeling next to empty space.  
  
"It wasn't meant to be," Fred or George replied. "Didn't realize they'd got stuck in there."  
  
Harry nodded and stood, brushing his knees off. "Might work well, though, if everyone's reaction was any indication." The twins turned thoughtful, mulling over what Harry had said.  
  
He walked over to the tangle that was Draco and Pansy and offered them both a hand. Pansy took it quickly and was hauled up. Draco took Harry's hand after a slight moment of hesitation and let Harry pull him to his feet. He was surprised to feel that Harry didn't release him. Instead Harry locked their fingers together, letting the fall of their robes conceal their hands from view.  
  
"Okay, a show of hands, if you please. I know nearly all of you who were in the D.A. can cast the Patronus charm, but are there any others of you who can?"  
  
Draco was surprised to see that there were a fair amount of them. The Patronus was a rather difficult charm, after all; most adults couldn't cast it at all, and Draco hadn't learned it until the past year.  
  
"Why are you asking if we can cast it?" Finnigan asked. "Are there going to be Dementors?"  
  
"Yes," Harry answered simply. "I need to know who can cast it and who can't, because I'm going to try to partner those of you who can't together with someone who can. Two sets of eyes are better than one, and this way one of you can worry about the Dementors and the other of you can worry about the Death Eaters."  
  
"So you're really going to battle You-Know-Who?" Megan Jones asked.  
  
Next to him Pansy rolled her eyes, but Harry simply said, "Yes," again.  
  
Harry glanced at Hermione, who took over. "We need to see your Patronuses, so if you'd all spread out and cast them toward the center, we can start pairing you off. Those of you who can't do the spell, please move over to the right."  
  
Everyone did as Hermione asked, and instantly the Great Hall was filled with cries of " _Expecto Patronum_ ". Harry, meanwhile, tugged on Draco's hand and pulled him over to the opposite wall.  
  
"Um, Harry, don't you think you should be paying attention to what they're doing?" Draco asked rather desperately. He didn't want to talk about his Patronus or what it had revealed inadvertently. He didn't think he was ready for any such conversation.  
  
"Hermione will handle it," Harry said firmly. "I want to talk about your Patronus."  
  
Draco tugged ineffectually at his hand but Harry simply tightened his grip.  
  
"Did you know that your Patronus was me?"  
  
_Leave it to Harry to get right to the point_ , Draco thought. He sighed and tried again to pull away but Harry reached up and gripped the front of his robes, holding him firmly in place. Draco realized he had no choice but to answer.  
  
"It wasn't always," he finally said, voice quiet. "It used to be a hawk."  
  
Harry didn't say anything; he just continued to stare at Draco, who shifted uneasily.  
  
"I didn't even know they could change," Draco continued. "I thought it was going to be as it always was."  
  
"Patronuses can change shape after a 'severe emotional upheaval'," Harry said, sounding like he was quoting something. "Or maybe just a change of heart."  
  
Draco swallowed heavily. "Harry," he said, but didn't get a chance to continue as Harry's fingers tightened in his robes and he was tugged forward. Harry's lips touched his and all thought floated away as he was soundly kissed.  
  
The sound of a throat clearing rather forcefully finally drifted into Draco's consciousness, and he realized that he was clinging to Harry quite desperately, and that the entire Hall had fallen dead silent.  
  
Harry finally broke the kiss and turned his head to look at Hermione, the source of the throat-clearing, who was trying to look stern, but Draco noticed that the effect was ruined by the smile she was trying to hide.  
  
"Bloody hell, Harry," Weasley said. "I always knew you were big on dramatic gestures but I didn't really figure you'd resort to one now."  
  
Harry turned his head to smirk at Ron, who gave him a half-smile back. "Sorry, mate," he said, clearly not sorry in the slightest. He still hadn't released Draco and was, in fact, playing with strands of Draco's hair as they stood there, the other hand still fisted in Draco's robe. "I'll try to control myself next time."  
  
Hermione started laughing at that, and Weasley joined her, the two of them clutching at each other as they nearly fell down.  
  
Harry looked back to Draco and gave him another smile before leaning forward and kissing him once more, lightly, before releasing him. Harry moved over to join Ron and Hermione, who had settled down slightly. Draco glanced over at Pansy, who was smirking at him.  
  
"Whatever happened to wanting to keep it to yourself?" she asked amusedly.  
  
"Change of plans," Draco replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close for a hug. He glanced at everyone else, who were mostly standing around, mouths agape. He caught Blaise's eye, who merely shrugged.  
  
"You and Potter?" Lisa Turpin asked weakly.  
  
"Yes," Draco said, amused at her reaction.  
  
"Oh," she said faintly. "Okay."  
  
Draco gave a slight laugh. Daphne was shaking her head in amazement and the rest of his housemates save Blaise were equally stunned. The looks he was getting from the other three houses weren't nearly as friendly and Draco remembered in that instant that not everyone in the room trusted him. An hour before a battle against the Death Eaters probably hadn't been the best time to spring such a revelation on everyone.  
  
"Well, that was exciting!" one of the twins declared. The other one set off another firework, which exploded in the air in the shape of a heart, causing everyone to laugh, especially at Draco, who blushed.  
  
"Okay, enough with the fireworks," Harry said good-naturedly, and Draco was pleased to see that he was faintly pink in embarrassment as well. "Time to get back to business."  
  
That sobered everyone instantly and they turned back to the partnerships that Hermione had placed them in. Pansy was paired with Morag, who couldn't do the Patronus charm but was equally as well-versed in offensive charms as Pansy herself. Longbottom, he saw, was paired with Daphne, and had just cast his Patronus, which took the form of a Great Dane. Daphne, meanwhile, was showing him how to cast a stronger shield charm.  
  
Harry had stepped over to the Weasley twins, who were pulling out boxes of their products, which were quickly enlarged to their normal size. Draco stepped up next to them and listened in.  
  
"These are our Decoy Detonators. Should be great for distractions. We also have Shield hats—"  
  
"Should be enough for everyone," the other twin interjected.  
  
"—as well as Shield cloaks and gloves. They still don't work against Unforgivables, but should at least give everyone a bit more protection."  
  
"These are great, guys," Harry said. "You've already outfitted yourselves, I see."  
  
"'Course," they said in unison.  
  
Harry nodded and picked up a cloak. "Perfect." He turned to Draco and held it out. "Put this on."  
  
Draco took it and did as Harry said, clasping it underneath his chin. "How do I look?"  
  
"It'll do," Harry said with a smile. He turned and motioned to everyone. "You all need to come over here and get one of each of these. Put them on; they're Shield cloaks, hats and gloves. They won't work against Unforgivables, but should work for your basic jinxes and hexes."  
  
Once everyone was properly attired, they turned to face Harry for more instructions. Draco saw Pansy glance at her watch again and couldn't help but look at the time himself:  _8:25_.   
  
"Fred and George have also brought some of their Decoy Detonators. Each of you should take two. Padma, Terry, you take the rest of them and split them between you. Since you'll be above the battlefield you'll have a better view of where they're needed."  
  
Everyone turned to stare at the two Ravenclaws, who looked at each other and shrugged. "We're going to be riding on Hippogriffs," Padma elaborated. "Which reminds me, Harry. How are we going to be able to tell everyone apart? I thought the Death Eaters wore black robes?"  
  
"Ah, no worries," said one of the twins. "A simple color-change spell on your robes will do. Like this." He turned and cast a charm on his brother's robe, which turned a violent magenta that clashed horrendously with his hair.  
  
"Perhaps something a bit more low-key, Fred?" Harry asked diplomatically.  
  
"Oh, Harry, you're no fun," Fred replied, but he flicked his wand again and the magenta was changed to a royal blue instead.  
  
"Much better," Harry said with a smile. Everyone followed suit, changing the black robes to royal blue.  
  
"Potter, there are two more things to distribute," Snape said, stepping up to the group of students. He was carrying a crate that Draco knew was full of the Invincibility potion that he'd brewed and had a cloth bag looped around one wrist. "Everyone is to take one each of the potion but is not to drink it yet. There's an Unbreakable charm on the bottle; place it in your pockets until later. You'll be told when to drink it."   
  
Snape also removed the bag from his arm and opened it, revealing huge chunks of chocolate. "Lupin," he said, and Draco noted the faint sneer at the pronouncement of their professor's name, "has requested that everyone take a piece of chocolate to help counteract the effects of the Dementors. There is a Keep-Fresh charm on them so they will last until you need them. Use it wisely; you are only to receive one piece each."  
  
Everyone took one of the bottles, Draco taking a second one per his promise to Harry, and then a piece of chocolate. All three items were tucked carefully into his pocket along with the Decoy Detonators and his wand.  
  
The Order had obviously concluded their final meeting, as the members had left the antechamber and were milling about the Hall. Draco caught Harry's arm and pulled him away from the others. He'd been wondering about something that kept being conveniently overlooked.  
  
"What about the full moon?" he asked Harry. With the full moon Lupin would have to undergo his usual transformation; in fact, it was late enough that Draco wondered if he'd done so already.  
  
"Snape gave Lupin his Wolfsbane," Harry said. "I don't really know what's going on with that, but they were talking about letting him out. Since he'd have his mind, it should technically be safe for everyone to be around him. And a werewolf is strong; it would be a nice asset. Especially if Voldemort is stupid enough to release Fenrir Greyback on us."  
  
Draco felt like someone had poured ice down his back. "Surely he wouldn't?" Draco asked, horrified. "Greyback wouldn't give a toss about who anyone was. He could end up biting Voldemort himself!"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Snape didn't think so. But I don't really know. And Pansy did hear a wolf's howl in her vision."  
  
Draco's stomach twisted. The battle was going to be difficult enough without a rogue werewolf running about!  
  
"Do not concern yourselves with Fenrir Greyback," Dumbledore said, appearing out of nowhere. "I do not believe that even Voldemort is blood-thirsty enough to risk all of his followers should Greyback decide to attack. His own life is worth too much to him."  
  
"Then Professor Lupin is going to be fighting?" Harry asked.  
  
"He is. He is currently waiting in the Shrieking Shack as we speak. Sirius will be joining him momentarily. I believe Sirius would like to speak with you before he goes, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and moved over to the doors, where Sirius was waiting. Draco watched them for a moment before a soft touch on his hand grabbed his attention. He turned to see his mother, regarding him calmly.  
  
Draco returned the look, his throat tightening.  _God_ , he loved his mother. He didn't want anything to happen to her, not when she was the only family he had left. He noticed that she was wearing one of the Weasley twins' cloaks and had a hat clasped in one of her hands.  
  
Draco forced a smile but was sure it came out wobbly. "I don't really think that hat's your style."  
  
Narcissa smiled at him and reached out a hand, ghosting it over his cheek. "It will do."  
  
Draco couldn't say anything else and instead stepped forward and hugged her. She embraced him back and placed a kiss on his cheek, holding him for a moment before releasing him. She held him at arm's length and looked at him.  
  
"I am proud of you, Draco," she said. "You have chosen your side and fought for what you believe in, and the young man you love." Draco was surprised; he hadn't realized that she knew about Harry. She smiled at him, nodding once. "I am your mother, Draco. I know these things." Draco returned the smile.  
  
"While your father has tarnished the Malfoy name nearly beyond repair, I believe that your actions, tonight and in the future, will restore it to its former glory," she continued. "And I look forward to being there for you through every step. You are my son, and I love you."  
  
Draco felt tears threatening and tried to blink them back. "I love you, too, Mum," he said, voice thick. She embraced him once more then stepped back. "Your young man is coming," she said softly with a smile, squeezing Draco's shoulder before moving back to Andromeda, who was standing over to one side conversing with Hestia Jones.  
  
"All right?" Harry asked.  
  
Draco drew a deep breath and released it slowly. "All right," he replied, and Harry nodded, squeezing his hand.  
  
Dumbledore reappeared with Ron and Hermione. "Harry, I'd like to quickly go over everything with the four of you. And then we will need to move outside. It is nearly time."  
  
_Nearly time_. Funny how two words could sound so ominous.  
  
Dumbledore quickly outlined the plan. The members of the  _Adversarius_ , along with the Order members, would be right in the center of the battle, as they were the best trained. The other students would be positioned along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, in the hopes that their Patronuses would keep the Dementors at bay.   
  
Padma, Terry, Charlie Weasley and Sturgis Podmore would be above the battle on Hippogriffs, allowing them a clear look at the battlefield and where extra help might be needed. This would also allow them to cast down on the unsuspecting Death Eaters and hopefully stay out of range of any spellfire on the ground.   
  
Macmillan had gotten his hybrid plant to sprout and hold; it was planted around the entire front of the castle and was charmed to attack anyone that came within three feet of it. Flitwick was in the process of moving all the suits of armor in the castle out to the front lawn, where Hannah Abbott would use her charm to make some of them into decoy students. Draco could hear the clang of metal from inside the hall as the knights were marched outside.  
  
"We will most likely be outnumbered," Dumbledore cautioned. "This is something you should expect, so that it will not surprise you. Voldemort has many ways of gathering followers, as you know."  
  
The four of them nodded, faces grim. It stood to reason that some of the people who would lose their lives tonight most likely didn't even want to be there, but were being forced by magic.  
  
"Once we are outside, we will cast the final spell," Dumbledore said. "You need one member from each house to do the casting. If I might make a suggestion, I believe that you, Harry, should be the Gryffindor. Mr. Malfoy would be perfect for the Slytherin representative, and Miss Patil for Ravenclaw. I am sure you can get Mr. Macmillan to agree to be the delegate from Hufflepuff."  
  
"Do they know the incantation?" Harry asked.  
  
"I believe they do," Dumbledore answered, "but it would be prudent to go over it again before you actually cast it. It is not a difficult charm."  
  
Dumbledore smiled down at Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You will do your parents proud tonight, of that I am certain," he said quietly.  
  
"Thank you, Sir," Harry said, bowing his head respectfully. "I will do my best."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and squeezed Harry's shoulder briefly. "It is time."  
  
As Dumbledore moved away to gather everyone up, Harry turned to look at Ron and Hermione. His face was awash in emotion and Draco noticed that Hermione had tears in her eyes and that Weasley was blinking back a few of his own. When he and Harry were alone it was easy to forget the history between the trio in front of him, but there was no question that Harry loved Ron and Hermione fiercely; they were, without a doubt, his two closest friends.  
  
"Stay safe," Hermione finally said, voice tight, reaching out and hugging Harry. Harry returned the embrace, then reached out his free hand to tug Weasley into the group. The three of them stood with their arms around each other for a moment before stepping back, Hermione wiping away tears.  
  
Weasley turned away slightly and Draco saw him bring a hand up to his eyes. He turned back and cleared his throat. "Once more, for old time's sake?" he asked with a small smile.  
  
Harry nodded. "Once more." He turned to look at Draco, face very serious. "Remember your promise," he whispered.  
  
Draco's throat grew tight at the expression in Harry's eyes, but managed to nod once. "I'll remember." Not caring who was watching, Draco pulled Harry close and kissed him again.  
  
Pansy chose that moment to appear, throwing her arms around Draco's neck in a fierce hug of her own. "Don't do anything stupid," she said harshly. "Remember that you're not a Gryffindor."  
  
He laughed slightly and she gave him a small smile in return. "I'll remember," he said again.  
  
"We need to head outside now," Dumbledore said, voice rising above all the other admonishments to stay safe.  
  
As they exited the Great Hall, they were surprised to see Professor McGonagall, who was herding what looked like an entire classroom-full of desks out the doors onto the lawn. She had animated them so that they were walking in military formation, stopping directly behind Flitwick's suits of armor.  
  
Hannah pushed past them, joining Flitwick on the lawn, and started charming the knights to look like students; they were pretty nondescript, all told, each of them looking identical in their blue cloaks and hats.  
  
Hermione had grabbed Macmillan and Padma, obviously explaining the incantation and making sure they wanted to be the spellcasters when the time came. Harry stepped up next to him, tugging his hat into place on his head. His hands were already covered in the Shield gloves. He was looking up at the sky, which was full of dark, black clouds, the full moon just barely visible between them. Someone had charmed fairy lights to float around the grounds, lending them a semblance of light by which to see, which was good because otherwise they'd no doubt be crashing into each other momentarily.  
  
"It would be really nice if it didn't rain," Harry murmured. Draco made a sound of agreement, although it didn't seem likely that Harry's wish would come true. Harry sighed and looked at Hermione, who gave a thumbs-up. Obviously Padma and Ernie were ready to go.  
  
Dumbledore was quickly ushering the non- _Adversarius_  students out toward the forest, where they each took positions in amongst the trees. Draco saw Hagrid standing nearby, four Hippogriffs following behind him on leads. In his other hand was a pink umbrella.  
  
Harry turned to face the remaining students and when he spoke his voice was calm.  
  
"We're finally at the end of it," he said. "The end of two years of hard training, sleepless nights, and countless numbers of shattered lives. Tonight, Voldemort will fall.  
  
"I'm not a very good speech-giver," he continued. "I don't know how to say all the right words or the pretty phrases that you're wanting to hear from me. I really only know how to go into things headfirst and think about the consequences later; I am, after all, a Gryffindor." There was some slight laughter at this statement, and Harry gave a small smile.  
  
"I  _can_  say for certain, that this  _is_  the end. After tonight our lives will continue on as they're meant to, with no further threats from Voldemort or his Death Eaters. I want all of you to know how honored I am to have been a part of this group with you. Each of you has taught me things I otherwise would not have known, and have shown yourselves to be loyal companions. Our victory tonight will be a direct result of all of your hard work and dedication, and I couldn't be prouder to know that my name will share the history books with yours."  
  
Next to Draco, Pansy covertly checked her watch. "Seven minutes," she murmured. "Wrap it up, Potter."  
  
Harry heard her and cast an amused glance in her direction, nodding slightly in acknowledgement.  
  
"This next step is for Draco, Ernie, Padma and me. It's the spell I mentioned at the meeting today,  _Dum Mors_. The rest of you don't need to do anything; just know that, as long as one of us is alive, the school will be safe, and the students inside will remain out of harm's way. Remember that tonight we don't do battle only for ourselves and our lives, but for the lives of our classmates, many of whom are too young to fight for themselves. It is up to us to keep them safe."  
  
That seemed to strengthen the resolve of some of the students, because Draco noticed that they were all standing a bit straighter.  
  
"Let's do this," Harry said firmly.  
  
He jumped down the stairs and turned to face the school. Draco stepped down with him, Padma and Ernie joining them.  
  
"We have to go in the order of the school crest, in clockwise order," Harry said quickly. "So I'm first, then Draco, then Padma, and Ernie. Okay?"  
  
The other three nodded their assent. Draco caught Pansy's eye; she held up four fingers.  
  
" _Servo Insquequo Nex_!" Harry shouted, wand held aloft. From the tip burst a huge lion, sparkling golden in the air. It roared once, then pawed the sky, bowing its head to Harry, who returned the gesture.  
  
Draco followed. " _Servo Insquequo Nex_!" A long, green snake appeared from his wand, hissing in greeting. It curved into the letter "s" as it settled next to the lion, then focused on Draco, bowing its head. Draco did so as well.  
  
" _Servo Insquequo Nex_!" Padma said clearly, bringing forth a large eagle, who screeched, circling the air once before settling underneath the snake. It regarded them silently before bowing its head, and Padma nodded back.  
  
" _Servo Insquequo Nex_!" Ernie said, completing the charm. From his wand burst a badger, who let out a growl before sitting next to the eagle. It bowed to Macmillan, who returned the move.  
  
Dumbledore appeared next to them, and with a fancy wave of his wand and a murmured charm, the four animals turned into the Hogwart's crest. The crest rose up into the air, shimmering even through the darkness. It started to raise itself until it was settled over the whole of the school; Dumbledore slowly lowered his wand and the crest followed suit, until it landed on the school, the crest dissipating into the stone.  
  
Charlie Weasley ran up to them, gesturing for Padma to follow him quickly to the Hippogriffs. Terry was already seated on one and was hanging a bag that contained the Decoy Detonators around its neck. Podmore was aboard the other one and was already leading it toward the lawn at a run.  
  
"Everyone take your Invincibility potion!" Harry shouted. "And put on your hats and gloves! Quickly now!"  
  
Everyone complied hurriedly. Draco looked at Pansy who shook her head. Time was up.  
  
"Here we go," Harry said, and at that moment two things occurred at once; they felt a brush of magic across their faces - "The wards are down!" McGonagall cried out - and the rain that had been threatening all day suddenly poured from the sky.  
  
"Bloody hell!" Weasley cried out, and at that second, the sky was filled with pops, as the Death Eaters Apparated straight onto the Hogwarts' lawn.  
  
***  
  
It was chaos.  
  
There was no other word to describe it. As soon as the Death Eaters had appeared they'd begun to fling curses; the air was filled with the sound of spells and the downpour of rain.  
  
Harry dove to the left as someone threw a Stunner at him.  _That's interesting_ , he thought. Obviously Voldemort had told them to bring Harry to him alive. He clearly wanted the pleasure of killing him himself.  
  
Harry rolled to his feet, slipping slightly on the wet grass, only to see one of McGonagall's desks fly open to pelt the unsuspecting Death Eater with pieces of parchment and bits of broken quills. Harry quickly yelled, " _Incarcerous_!" and they were bound tightly, falling straight to the ground as easily as if Harry had Petrified them. Harry Stunned whoever it was and left them there, the desk moving over the prone figure to stand guard.  
  
"Well, they sure get straight to the point," Draco said, flinging a curse over Harry's shoulder before pulling him behind a suit of armor as another curse came flying toward them. "We need to waterproof ourselves," he said briskly, quickly casting water-repellent charms on Harry's glasses and outer clothes.  
  
"Good thinking," Harry said, as he'd already been unable to see clearly out of the wet lenses.  
  
Harry used his vantage point to scope things out; as no one had attempted to go toward the school yet, they were relatively safe.  
  
"Do you see him?" Draco asked, obviously meaning Voldemort.  
  
"No," Harry said, throwing a curse at the back of a Death Eater that had Lavender in their sights. "And I don't feel him, either. I don't think he's here yet."  
  
They didn't have long to ponder this, as the knight they'd been hiding behind suddenly moved. It clanged across the grass toward a huge, hulking Death Eater, before bringing its fist down on the top of their head, knocking the mask they'd been wearing askew.  
  
"Rowle," Draco said, tugging Harry across the lawn, flinging curses as he went. He hid them behind another suit of armor and Harry sighed exasperatedly.  
  
"Draco, I'm not going to spend the entire time crouched behind some rusty old knight!"  
  
"Of course you're not," Draco said dismissively. "I just figured we should try to scout things out and see where to go."  
  
Harry knew he had a point, so looked out over the battlefield.  
  
There were already bodies littered on the ground. Some of them had on the blue cloaks that the Weasley twins had given them and Harry fervently hoped they were simply Stunned.   
  
He saw Kingsley engaged in a duel with an unmasked Rodolphus Lestrange. Kingsley appeared to be winning, as Lestrange was being forced backward toward the Forbidden Forest. Suddenly, three red Stunners shot out of the woods, and Lestrange fell to the ground. Kingsley made short work of binding him, then quickly levitated the body into the forest before turning to help Hestia Jones fight off another Death Eater.  
  
"Here," Harry said, digging into his pocket and pulling out his invisibility cloak. "Get under here, that way we can move around without anyone seeing us."  
  
Draco gave him a stern look. "You've had that the whole time?"  
  
Harry shrugged before throwing it over them. "Try to be quiet," he said. "It doesn't muffle sound at all."  
  
Covered in the cloak, they made their way through the battlefield, throwing out spells where they were needed but mostly trying to locate Voldemort. Harry released one of his Decoy Detonators, which exploded, drawing the attention of an unmasked Avery, who was quickly downed by a spell from Emmeline Vance.  
  
Everywhere they looked they saw people dueling masked Death Eaters. Some of them had lost their masks, making them easier targets for people with personal vendettas. Sirius was dueling a cackling Bellatrix Lestrange, and Snape was battling a sneering Dolohov, who'd nearly killed him when his spy status had been discovered.  
  
The rain was making the ground muddy and slick; several times Harry and Draco nearly went down in the muck.  
  
"We should move toward the center," Harry said, releasing his final Detonator. Draco nodded. As they set out Harry suddenly froze as a wave of cold enveloped him.  
  
"Dementors," he forced out, already hearing the faint screams of his mother's final seconds. Just as suddenly as the cold appeared, it dissipated slightly as several calls of, " _Expecto Patronum_!" came from the forest behind them.  
  
Harry drew a deep breath and looked up; sure enough, the sky was filled with the dark figures of the Dementors. They were swooping down onto the figures on the lawn, seemingly not caring whom they had targeted, as Death Eaters and Order members alike fell victim to their terror.  
  
From the gates of Hogwarts came shouts and more spellfire. Harry heard Dawlish's voice crying out commands. It seemed the Aurors had arrived. Their numbers made things a little more even, although there were still more black-robed figures than anyone else.  
  
"Took them long enough," Draco muttered, grabbing Harry's arm as he nearly went down in the mud again.  
  
They positioned themselves more in the center before Harry threw off the cloak, tucking it quickly into his pocket. It was pretty dark and wet and he was hoping the Shield hat would keep him from being recognized so easily. Luckily the hat covered Draco's tell-tale blond hair, too.  
  
"Hey, Mulciber!" Harry called out, grabbing the Death Eater's attention and allowing Tonks to find her feet again. "Hope you like the accommodations at Azkaban!"  
  
"Potter!" he snarled, raising his wand. Lightning quick, Tonks had him bound and at her feet, nodding her thanks at Harry.  
  
Unfortunately his yell of Harry's name brought him all kinds of unwanted attention, because suddenly there were several wands pointed in his direction. As the spells were yelled out, he found himself hitting the ground hard as Draco shoved him down. Mud coated his glasses and got into his mouth, causing Harry to choke. Draco was flinging Stunning spells at everyone in the vicinity; some of them hit their targets but most of them went wide. Draco pulled Harry up but they were in serious trouble. That is, until a wolf's howl rent the air and a huge gray wolf went flying over their heads, bringing down two Death Eaters in one go and effectively surprising the others. Harry quickly took care of one of them, Draco getting the final one.  
  
"Thanks, Professor," Harry said, wiping the mud off his glasses.  
  
The Dementors chose that moment to attack again, and Harry quickly cast his Patronus to ward them off. The chill had invaded his bones, though, so Harry took a small bite of the chocolate Snape had given them, feeling the effects recede slightly.  
  
"We have to keep moving," Draco said. "It'll be harder to hit us if we don't stay in one spot. Let's try to draw them toward the school so Macmillan's plant can do some of the work for us."  
  
The two of them set off at a run, throwing spells out as they went. They seemed to gain the focus of the elder Crabbe and Goyle, who followed in pursuit. As they neared the school, Harry quickly covered Draco and himself with his cloak and stepped away to the side. It was obvious who the younger Crabbe and Goyle got their lack of intelligence from, as the two men continued to run right up to the building. Ernie's plant shot out and grabbed them fast, twining around their bodies until they were pulled right up close to the walls of the castle, completely unable to move.  
  
"Brilliant," Harry said. He didn't have too much time to think about it, though, as someone shouted, "The Dark Lord is here!" and Harry gasped as his head throbbed in pain.  
  
The Dementors swooped in again, but this time were waylaid by a Patronus that seemed to come from above them.  
  
"Harry, they're casting from the school!" Draco exclaimed.  
  
Harry forced himself to breathe and was glad to feel that the pain in his head subsided slightly to a dull ache. He looked up and sure enough, Draco was right; it seemed that those in the Charms classroom had decided to help after all.  
  
Harry stood unsteadily, wincing as the pain in his head flared once sharply. "I need to find Voldemort."  
  
Draco nodded and threw the cloak over them, and they set off back into the battle.  
  
Harry glanced around, and noticed that crystal balls seemed to be hurtling from the castle. Trelawney's bespectacled head appeared in a window, followed by more crystal balls. One of them found a target, cracking sharply in half on the head of Selwynn, who went down in a heap. There were hexes being thrown from the windows of the castle, from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Tower both. Padma and Terry were circling above throwing Stunning spells down on the heads of the Death Eaters. McGonagall's desks were throwing themselves at their enemies, sometimes tackling them and other times being blown to pieces by a spell. The suits of armor had lost Hannah's spell but were still clanging noisily around the grounds, doing their best to bring down the Death Eaters; Flitwick must have charmed them to attack.  
  
As they walked past a dueling Auror and Death Eater, there was a loud bang as someone released one of the Decoy Detonators. Farther on was a flash of fireworks from one of the twins, and more bangs from the Detonators. And still the black robes were everywhere.  
  
It also looked like those students who'd started out in the Forbidden Forest had been pulled onto the lawn. Seamus and Dean were rushing at a group of Death Eaters, bellowing something at the top of their lungs. Lisa Turpin and Michael Corner were frantically trying to keep up with the hexes being thrown at them by Gibbon. Ron and Hermione were no where to be seen, and Harry felt a rush of panic at the thought that something had gone wrong. All of this was wrong, they weren't ready, they didn't know enough spells! Harry had just made up his mind to rush into the middle of everything when he was stopped by Draco.  
  
"Harry," Draco said, grabbing him forcefully by the arm. "Get it together."  
  
"They're our classmates, Draco!" Harry said, voice gone high in terror.  
  
"You can't be everywhere at once!" Draco yelled, shaking Harry by the shoulders. "You're only one person!"  
  
Harry sucked in a breath. Draco was right. He was supposed to be the one this whole thing revolved around and here he was falling apart underneath an invisibility cloak. Enough was enough.  
  
"You're right," he said tightly. "Sorry."  
  
Draco looked at him with concern, but finally nodded. "Let's find Voldemort and end this."  
  
They made their way across the lawn, using the growing pain in Harry's head to guide them.  
  
As they ran, slipping every now and then in the mud, Harry saw Daphne and Neville valiantly fighting off Yaxley, although it was clear that Yaxley had the better spells. Neville finally hurled himself at Yaxley's knees, bringing the large Death Eater down in a tangle of limbs. Daphne shouted Neville's name and Harry saw Yaxley's wand rise as he yelled, " _Sectumsempra_!" Daphne had enough sense to spin out of the way, but the spell still caught her and she went down in a heap, clutching her arm. Neville pushed himself up into a sitting position and promptly punched Yaxley in the face; Harry could hear the sound of bone breaking at impact.   
  
Twisting out from under the cloak, Harry pointed his wand at the bit of Yaxley he could see and yelled, " _Stupefy_!"  
  
Neville clambered off of Yaxley and clapped a hand to Harry's shoulder. "Thanks, Harry."  
  
Daphne was crying, her hair plastered to her face from the rain. She was holding a hand to her arm, which was dripping blood through her fingers.  
  
"Neville, you need to get her off the lawn," Harry said, Stunning another Death Eater as he ran over to her. "Take her into the forest and try to bind the wound."  
  
Neville nodded and scooped the much-smaller Daphne up into his arms. "End this, Harry," he said seriously.  
  
Harry nodded. "I'm going to. Right now."  
  
Neville gave him a nod and ran toward the forest.  
  
Draco had thrown off the cloak when Harry had moved to curse Yaxley but had gotten waylaid by one of the Carrows. He was running toward Harry when Lucius Malfoy suddenly Apparated right behind him. Before Harry could even say anything, Lucius had a dagger to Draco's throat.  
  
"Hello, Draco," he said, voice menacing. "How nice to see you again."  
  
"Father," Draco said evenly. "I'm sorry I can't say the same."  
  
Lucius' mouth twisted. "The Dark Lord requests your presence, Potter," he said. "Find him quickly or you will be sorry." And just like that, he disappeared with Draco.  
  
"Fuck!" Harry yelled, running to scoop up his cloak and berating himself the whole while. Lucius had obviously known right where Draco was the entire time; no doubt there were spells that could locate family members, and Lucius would most likely be well-versed in them. Why hadn't he thought of something like that?  
  
"Harry!" he heard Hermione shout. She ran up to him and Harry felt instant relief that she was okay. "Was that Lucius Malfoy?"  
  
"Yes," Harry said. "He took Draco. He said Voldemort wants to see me."  
  
Hermione pulled him toward the forest. "You can use your ring. It will take you right to Draco, remember?" She pushed him in amongst the trees and he was amazed to see that there was a sort of mini-hospital set up among the foliage. Ron was being tended to by Madam Pomfrey, who was daubing some sort of thick green paste on his face.  
  
"What happened to you?" Harry asked.  
  
"Ernie's damn plant," Ron said. "Got too close as I tried to get Travers into range. Grabbed him right good but it snapped me in the face. I'll be good in a minute and then I'm going back out there. We're massively outnumbered."  
  
Hermione grabbed Harry's hands and pulled off his gloves, revealing the silver ring on his finger.  
  
"Just say 'Portus, Draco', and it will take you right to him. Make sure you're ready, Harry. It could be a trap."  
  
Harry nodded. "Be careful," he told her.  
  
"You, too."  
  
Taking a deep breath and making sure his wand was clasped firmly in his hand, he said, "Portus, Draco." He felt the instantaneous tug behind his navel and the forest disappeared. He reappeared just as suddenly, right in front of the stairs to the school.  
  
He knew instantly that it was the right place, as his head exploded in pain and he fell to his knees, his left hand pressed against his scar.  
  
"Harry!" Draco shouted, struggling to get away from his father. "Go back, it's a trap!"  
  
"Ah ah," Voldemort said smugly. "Potter won't be going anywhere, I'm afraid." And with a flick of his wand a huge dome of red light spread out above them, locking the four of them inside.  
  
He noticed dimly that the red dome of light had two good purposes; one, it blocked out the rain that was still falling steadily, and two, he could no longer feel the Dementors. Harry managed to get to his feet, but the pain in his head was excruciating. He swayed slightly but kept a firm grasp on his wand. If Voldemort held true to form he'd try to disarm him any second now.  
  
" _Expelliarmus_!" Voldemort cried. Harry's wand jumped in his grasp but Harry had been expecting it and therefore didn't lose his grip.  
  
He hauled air into his lungs and felt the pain in his head lessen just slightly.  
  
"You're getting predictable in your old age, Tom," Harry said. "Always the same thing, every time."  
  
Voldemort eyes flashed with anger. "Do not call me Tom," he said. "There was one other tonight that made the same mistake; he will make it no longer."  
  
Harry reeled at that. Dumbledore was dead?  
  
Voldemort smiled nastily. "Oh, yes. Dear old Dumbledore is out of commission. Left you lot without a leader, he did."  
  
Harry glared at Voldemort. "That won't matter, seeing as I don't intend to let you live past this night." He raised his wand and yelled, " _Expelliarmus_!"  
  
Obviously his move had been expected as well, because Voldemort didn't lose his wand, either.  
  
"Tsk, tsk," Voldemort said. "Really, Potter, get serious. You think you can defeat me with your second year spells? Oh, no. It will take much more than that.  _Crucio_!"  
  
And  _oh_ , okay, he should have expected this, too. It was interesting that no matter how many times you had to undergo this that you never really got used to the pain. It was undoubtedly the worst pain he'd ever felt; it felt like there was acid in his veins and it was slowly burning him alive. He could distantly hear screams and realized they were coming from him; when Voldemort finally ended the spell Harry was panting and tears were clouding his vision. He rolled over and got his legs under him although he wasn't sure he'd be able to stand right away.  
  
"You know, I've longed for this night," Voldemort began conversationally. "I don't mind saying it's been a sixteen year long goal. To finally rid myself of your presence once and for all? Yes. I have dreamed of this night often."  
  
Harry slowly stood, legs shaking as they took his weight, but holding. "Sorry to disappoint," he said, "but it won't be me who dies tonight."  
  
Voldemort laughed. "Potter, you stupid child. How mistaken you are.  _Crucio_!"  
  
Harry had been expecting it this time, though, and cast  _Contego_. He could feel the magic of the shield pushing against him as Voldemort's spell bounced off, and knew he wouldn't be able to hold it for long, even with the ring to focus the energy. Thankfully Voldemort didn't cast it again right away so Harry could let the shield drop.  
  
Voldemort was regarding him thoughtfully. "It appears that you've finally finished the spell that Severus told me about back when I still thought he was on my side," he said after a moment. "Tell me, who was the one that figured it out?"  
  
"It was Blaise," Draco said, wincing as the dagger dug into his throat. "Blaise Zabini and Tracey Davis." There was an enormous amount of pride in his voice as he said their names.  
  
"At least they were Slytherins," Voldemort conceded, then flicked his wand at Harry. Harry felt like there were needles poking him everywhere; it wasn't anywhere near as painful as the  _Cruciatus_ , but as he was pretty overloaded on pain at the moment it didn't feel anything remotely like pleasure, either.  
  
Voldemort did something so that Harry's head once again threatened to explode and Harry felt his grip loosen on his wand; the wand sailed into Voldemort's outstretched hand. Voldemort gave a maniacal laugh that sent ice down Harry's spine.  
  
"I am betting, however, that even Slytherins couldn't figure out how to cast such a spell without a wand," Voldemort said. " _Crucio_!"  
  
Oh,  _shit_ , okay, he was dying, Harry was convinced. Nothing could hurt as badly as his body did at this moment. His arms and legs twisted in on themselves as pain wracked his body. He was dimly aware of Draco screaming his name, but could hardly hear him over the screams that were coming out of his own mouth.  
  
And then the pain was gone, and Harry was again left gasping on the ground, his breath wheezing in and out of his chest, tears falling freely down his face. He managed to get his knees under him but knew he wouldn't be able to stand, not after that last bout. He was shaking everywhere.  
  
He looked at Draco who was still held in place by the dagger in his father's hand. Draco had tears streaming down his face, but his gaze was steady as he looked at Harry. Harry took a deep breath, breathing in the calm that Draco was trying to give him.  
  
Voldemort was twirling Harry's wand in one long-fingered hand. When Harry looked at him he realized that Voldemort was regarding Draco thoughtfully. He felt his stomach clench; nothing that Voldemort came up with at this point could be good.  
  
"Young Malfoy," he said. "Tell me why you did not join me."  
  
Draco looked at him, bemused. "Are you serious?" he finally asked.  
  
"Quite," Voldemort said. "Your father was under the impression that you would, you see, and then … well. You did a complete about-face  _and_  took your mother with you."  
  
Draco shrugged, the movement hampered by Lucius' grip. "My father was mistaken."  
  
"Clearly," Voldemort said, stepping closer. "I want to know  _why_  he was mistaken."  
  
Draco's face turned bored, although it was slightly ruined by the tears drying on his cheeks. "I don't particularly care what you want."  
  
Voldemort smirked. "No, I'm sure you don't. But if you don't tell me, I'll be forced to cast  _Cruciatus_  again on Potter here, and I'm really not certain how many more bouts he can handle. We could very well have another case of Longbottoms on our hands."  
  
Draco's glance moved to Harry, no doubt seeing how badly he was feeling and realizing that Harry most likely  _couldn't_  undergo another round of the spell.  
  
"Our ideals differ quite significantly," Draco finally said.  
  
"I see," Voldemort replied. "Such as?"  
  
Draco's teeth clenched momentarily but he relaxed again slightly and said, "I'm not much for torturing people."  
  
That got a laugh. "People in general or certain people in particular?"  
  
Draco made a sound of irritation. "Depends."  
  
"Perhaps you need a more practical demonstration," Voldemort said and Harry braced himself for the incoming spell. "Cru—"   
  
"Stop, for God's sake,  _stop_!" Draco cried, twisting in Lucius' grip. "All right, I'll answer your damned question!"  
  
Voldemort smiled. "I think you just did. It seems you were right, Lucius. Your son does fancy himself in love with Potter."  
  
"Yes, my Lord," Lucius replied distastefully.  
  
"Hmm," was Voldemort's response. Draco, however, didn't seem to understand that now wasn't really the time to talk.  
  
"I don't fancy myself anything," he retorted. "I  _know_."  
  
Harry felt his eyes widen in shock. He'd thought that's how Draco had felt when he'd seen his Patronus, but Draco hadn't said the words, and Harry hadn't asked to hear them. Now, though, Draco had just declared his love in front of his father and Voldemort, of all people, and if his father's expression was anything to go by it was most unwanted news indeed.  
  
"I see," Voldemort said. "Most interesting."  
  
He tucked Harry's wand in his pocket and turned to look directly at Lucius.  
  
"Lucius," he said imperiously.  
  
"Yes, my Lord?" Lucius replied carefully.  
  
"Kill your son," Voldemort said.  
  
Lucius' hand tightened around the hilt of the dagger. "My Lord?" he said, aghast.  
  
"I said 'kill your son'," Voldemort repeated. "He has brought dishonor on your family, Lucius. He has sided with Dumbledore and his ilk. He has not remained true to the cause. You have spent the past several months going on at length about how he has sullied the Malfoy name with his dalliances with Potter, have you not? And now we have a confession that not only has he been taking up with Potter, as he told your portrait so nicely, but that he  _loves_  him. This is something that must be handled, am I correct?"  
  
"Yes," Lucius said weakly. "But my Lord—"  
  
"Kill him," Voldemort demanded. "If his earlier behavior truly shamed you as you have claimed, this added confession should make it even easier."  
  
Harry could see Lucius swallow from where he was kneeling. "My Lord—" Lucius tried again.  
  
"I said KILL HIM!" Voldemort yelled, pointing his wand at Lucius. " _Kill him now_!"  
  
Lucius stiffened, the dagger at Draco's throat digging in slightly, causing Draco to wince as the blade nicked him. Lucius was shaking, trying to keep the dagger from dragging across Draco's throat, and Harry suddenly realized that Voldemort had put him under  _Imperius_ , and that Lucius was trying to fight him off.  
  
It was a fight he wasn't winning. A drop of blood dripped from the tip of the dagger down Draco's neck and Harry realized that they were well past the hour the Invincibility potion lasted; there was no way Draco had been able to take the second dose.  
  
Harry hauled himself to his feet, swaying slightly, not sure what he intended to do but knowing he had to do something, or Draco would die right in front of him.  
  
And suddenly several things happened at once.  
  
The red dome of light that had been around the four of them abruptly disappeared, and within seconds a huge, black dog had hurtled itself at Lucius, knocking both him and Draco to the ground. Draco let out a scream of pain as he fell, but Harry pushed away the thought of what that scream might mean, as Narcissa unexpectedly appeared next to him, flinging curses at Voldemort, who seemed shocked that everything had suddenly gone pear-shaped.  
  
Voldemort seemed to regain his focus, though, and easily downed Narcissa with a spell. She crumpled to the ground at the Dark Lord's feet.  
  
There were shouts of more curses hurled past him, all of which were easily deflected by Voldemort, and suddenly Harry understood.  
  
Draco had been wrong; this fight  _was_  about Voldemort and Harry. It  _was_  Harry that had to take him down. It was Harry's responsibility to rid the world of the Dark Lord - not anyone else's.  
  
In that moment, the air was filled with phoenix song, and the sword of Gryffindor clattered to the ground at Harry's feet.  
  
Not even thinking about anything, only knowing that this had to end before he lost anyone else he cared about, Harry stooped down, picked up the sword, and ran full tilt toward Voldemort, jumping over Narcissa's prone form and plunging the blade through Voldemort's chest.  
  
Voldemort jerked in surprise, red eyes wide with shock. There was a gurgle in his throat, and blood bubbled up from his mouth. "Well, well, Potter," he said, choking. "I didn't think you had it in you. Clearly, I was wrong."  
  
Harry viciously pulled the sword out; it was slick with blood, the drops falling heavily to the ground.  
  
"This is over," he said clearly, and watched with satisfaction as Voldemort gave one more jerk before his body seemed to collapse in on itself and he fell to the ground. Harry took one step toward the tangle that was Draco and Lucius when there was a flash of brilliant red light from Voldemort's body, and Harry's world exploded in a burst of pain more excruciating than even the  _Cruciatus_  curses he'd just been subjected to.  
  
There were shouts all around him but he didn't even try to decipher them, instead falling gratefully into the darkness that swallowed him.  
  
_(end chapter twenty)_


	21. Chapter 21

Harry woke with a start, fighting a sense of vertigo. His arms flailed out in surprise, seeking something to grasp onto in order to steady him. He felt someone sit down next to him and, just as he was convinced he was going to fall, a warm hand grasped his and held tight.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Harry instinctively tightened his grip, willing the dizziness to disappear, when the voice penetrated the fog in his head. Could it really be…?  
  
"Draco?" he said, voice cracking. He tried to force his eyes open but they weren't cooperating.  
  
"Harry," said Draco, relief apparent in his voice. "Thank God," he murmured, bringing Harry's hand to his mouth and kissing his fingers. "I thought you were never going to wake up."  
  
Harry finally managed to get his eyes open. The room was bright and he squinted against the glare. Blinking rapidly to bring his eyes into focus, he saw Draco silhouetted against the sunlight streaming through the windows, blond hair shining in the sun.   
  
"It's really you?" Harry asked, almost afraid to hope that Draco was there in front of him. "I am awake, right?"  
  
Draco gave a slight laugh and tightened his grip on Harry's hand. "It's me."   
  
Relief flooded through Harry and he was surprised to feel tears fill his eyes. Blinking them back, he fought to free himself from the blankets that were pinning him to the bed. He had a sudden, overwhelming desire to touch Draco, to make sure he was really there. Finally getting loose enough to sit up, and noticing vaguely that the movement caused his head to ache, he reached for Draco, who immediately wrapped him in a tight hug.   
  
"I heard you scream when you went down," Harry said, burying his face in Draco's shoulder. Draco smelled faintly medicinal, like one of the potions Madam Pomfrey was forever pouring down Harry's throat. "I started heading back to you after I - after I killed Voldemort…." He stopped, and looked up at Draco, eyes widening. "I really did kill him, didn't I? It's really over."   
  
Draco smiled, bringing his hands up to cradle Harry's face. "It's really over, Harry." He leaned forward and kissed him gently, one thumb tracing over Harry's cheekbone. "You're finally free of it all."   
  
Harry sat silently for a moment, soaking up Draco's touch. The pain in his head was a bit more insistent than it had been at first, and he was just getting ready to say something when Madam Pomfrey pushed aside the curtain that was keeping Harry separated from the rest of the hospital wing.   
  
"Well, Mr. Potter, glad to see you're awake." She pointedly looked at Draco, who reluctantly released Harry and allowed him to sit back against the headboard. Harry reached beside him to the bedside table for his glasses, and slipped them on. "Mr. Malfoy was supposed to inform me as soon as you woke up, but I see he got slightly sidetracked."   
  
Draco shrugged unrepentantly. "I figured you'd be in sooner or later."   
  
Madam Pomfrey gave him a sharp look, and Draco amended his previous statement slightly, saying, "I would have called you if there had been something wrong."   
  
"When you become a Healer, Mr. Malfoy, you may make decisions such as that without any interference from me. In the mean time, I believe I am the Healer here, and I will decide whether there is anything wrong or not."   
  
Slightly abashed, Draco conceded, holding up his hands in surrender. Harry gave him a small grin, which disappeared as Madam Pomfrey began a barrage of diagnostic scans and tests. Just as Harry was convinced he'd never been poked and prodded so much before in his life - which was saying something, seeing as he made visiting the hospital wing quite the hobby - she stopped and said everything looked good.   
  
"Is there anything in particular bothering you, Mr. Potter?" she asked.   
  
Harry thought that might have been a good question to start with, but didn't say so. "My head hurts," he told her. "Kind of like it's been split open."   
  
"That's because when you killed Voldemort, Harry, you severed the connection between the two of you," said Dumbledore, who had just come into the small curtained-off area surrounding Harry's bed. "It's perfectly normal, and I'm sure Professor Snape can give you a pain-relieving potion to help until the pain subsides completely."   
  
Harry noticed that Snape had followed Dumbledore into the room, and was uncorking a vial filled with a bluish-colored liquid. He handed it to Harry without ceremony and said, "Drink," in a no-nonsense tone that Harry didn't argue with. He drank, and nearly sighed in relief as the potion took the pain in his head away completely.   
  
"Thank you, sir," Harry said quietly, and Snape nodded once in acceptance.   
  
"Now," Dumbledore said cheerily, "I suppose you have questions. And I would like to give you answers, if you're up to it."   
  
"Answers to everything or only what you deem pertinent?" Harry asked, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice. He realized that he was perhaps being a bit disrespectful, but surely now that everything was over he could finally have the full truth.   
  
Dumbledore sighed, his cheer diminishing slightly. "I will answer any questions you have, Harry. I admit that my doing so is long overdue."   
  
Madam Pomfrey took this as her cue to leave, warning Dumbledore not to unnecessarily overtax her patient, and bustled Snape out with her. There were some muttered complaints from Snape when Madam Pomfrey insisted he sit down so she could look him over - he'd been sporting a freshly-healed cut on his cheek and was limping quite spectacularly - but the sound of their voices disappeared as the curtain around Harry's bed was pushed back into place. Someone must have put a silencing charm around the area so Harry wouldn't be disturbed.   
  
Draco gave Harry a questioning look, and then gestured half-heartedly toward the curtain, clearly wondering if he should leave as well. In response, Harry reached for Draco's hand, entwining their fingers. Draco gave him a small smile, and then turned his attention toward Dumbledore.   
  
Harry looked at Dumbledore, too, then remembered that Dumbledore shouldn't have been there at all.   
  
"Voldemort said you were dead," Harry said.   
  
"Ah, yes. Well, let's just say that I played a bit of a trick on our old friend, Tom," Dumbledore replied, eyes twinkling merrily behind his half-moon spectacles. "He only saw what he wanted to see."   
  
Harry knew he had a confused expression on his face, but none of this really made any sense to him. "If you weren't really dead," Harry began slowly, "then why didn't you take care of Voldemort yourself? Why did I have to kill him?"  _Why did I have to risk my life?_  was the unspoken question that was floating in the air, and it was this one that Harry most wanted answered.   
  
"I am very sorry, Harry," Dumbledore said, and Harry noticed that the Headmaster suddenly looked very tired. "I am afraid that it had to be you."   
  
Harry was tempted to tell Dumbledore that his response was another of those vague, half-answers that he didn't really appreciate, but refrained. Dumbledore took a moment to conjure up one of his flower-patterned armchairs, and seated himself on the cushion.   
  
"Before we get down to business," Dumbledore said, "I think we could all use some tea. And perhaps some sandwiches for you and Mr. Malfoy."   
  
Harry didn't feel all that hungry himself, but nodded his consent. Dumbledore took a moment to call for a house elf, who was gone momentarily and then back with a tray full of tea, biscuits, and small finger sandwiches. Dumbledore put some biscuits and sandwiches on a plate for Harry and Draco, and then poured each of them a cup of tea.   
  
Harry nibbled slightly on a sandwich and waited for Dumbledore to get started. Draco, he noticed, was eating a bit more heartily; he polished off his entire plate in a matter of moments.   
  
Harry observed that Dumbledore was also watching Draco, and couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face when Dumbledore asked, "Would you care for some more, Mr. Malfoy?"   
  
Draco looked up from his teacup, embarrassed. "No, sir. I'm okay." He noticed Harry looking at him and said, somewhat defensively, "I've been up a lot longer than you have, you know."   
  
Harry grinned. "That's good to hear."   
  
Draco polished off his tea and set his cup aside. Harry had only taken one sip of his, but his attention was focused much more on what Dumbledore was going to say than on his stomach. Unwilling to wait any longer, he said, "Can we please get started, sir?"  
  
Dumbledore inquired if either of the boys wanted anything else to eat or drink, and after receiving negative responses, he vanished the dishes and nodded. "Ask away, Harry."  
  
Harry was quiet for a moment. He had so many things he wanted answers to that he didn't even know where to start. Finally he asked, "What did you mean when you said you were afraid it had to be me? Why did I have to kill Voldemort?"  
  
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "What do you know of prophecies, Harry?"  
  
Harry tamped down on the annoyance that flared every time Dumbledore answered a question with another question, and replied, "I know Professor Trelawney made one the night Pettigrew escaped and Sirius was nearly given the Dementor's Kiss."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "That was not the first prophecy spoken by Professor Trelawney, Harry. The first prophecy was spoken before you were even born, and I am afraid that everything that has happened to you since it was uttered has been a direct result of her words."  
  
"I don't understand," Harry said. "What do you mean? Are you saying the prophecy dictated my life?"  
  
"It definitely dictated certain aspects of it," answered Dumbledore. "If you'd like, I can show you the prophecy. You may understand better after hearing it."  
  
Before Harry could answer, Draco spoke. "But prophecies are recorded and kept in the Department of Mysteries, aren't they? Only Harry, or whomever else the prophecy was talking about, would be able to remove it."  
  
Harry looked at Draco. Obviously he was better versed on the subject of prophecies, which wasn't surprising. Even after all these years, Harry knew he still had gaps in his magical knowledge.  
  
"You are correct, Mr. Malfoy. Usually that would be the case. However, I happen to be the person Professor Trelawney spoke the prophecy to, and I assure you, my memory on the matter is quite sound." Harry noticed that Dumbledore's eyes were doing that twinkling thing again as he looked at Draco, who squirmed a bit under his gaze.  
  
"Oh," was Draco's oh-so-eloquent reply.  
  
"Indeed," Dumbledore said with a smile. He reached inside his robe and withdrew two lemon drops. As he proceeded to unstick them from each other, he focused again on Harry. "Would you like to hear the prophecy, Harry?" he asked again.  
  
Harry glanced briefly at Draco, who shrugged slightly. Turning back to Dumbledore, he nodded. "Yes. I would."  
  
Dumbledore popped one of the sweets into his mouth and withdrew his wand. He then reached down to the floor and brought up a Pensieve. With his wand he extracted a silvery strand of memory, and dropped it into the stone basin.  
  
"Do you remember in your first year when you asked me why Voldemort had tried to kill you when you were a baby?" he asked, gazing steadily at Harry.  
  
Feeling suddenly unsteady but not quite knowing why, Harry swallowed once, heavily, and nodded.  
  
"You are about to get your answer, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "An answer I should have given you years ago."  
  
Dumbledore had never used that tone with Harry before, and Harry suddenly wasn't sure he wanted to hear whatever this prophecy was. He felt like he was standing in the water on shifting sand, and was one wave away from being knocked over and drowned. Without conscious thought he reached a hand out to Draco, who immediately grasped it and held tight.  
  
The Headmaster took his wand and prodded the silvery liquid in the Pensieve. As Harry watched, the figure of Professor Trelawney rose out of the basin, spinning slowly, and spoke in a voice that Harry had heard only once before:  


 

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…."_

  
  
Harry felt like he couldn't breathe, and absently noticed that he was squeezing Draco's hand tightly enough to break something. Dumbledore continued to watch him, eyes steady but sad. It was that sadness that made Harry finally manage to draw in breath - what right did  _Dumbledore_  have to be sad? - and in the next second he had released Draco's hand and was on his feet.  
  
"How could you not have  _told_  me?" exploded Harry, hands balling into fists. "You let me go on facing him, and never once told me why you never intervened, or why he kept coming after me! I had a right to  _know_!"  
  
At this point, he stood towering over the seated Dumbledore, who hadn't moved even a fraction under the onslaught. Dumbledore lowered his head a bit in acquiescence and said, "You are right, Harry. I have no worthwhile excuses, except that I was trying in a very misguided way to protect you. I realized long ago that, in this case, I made a mistake."  
  
"You made a mistake," Harry repeated flatly, voice tight. He realized that the potions vials on the bedside table were vibrating with his anger. He clenched his fists even tighter and continued, "Yes. I would say you definitely made a  _mistake_."  
  
Dumbledore sighed and raised a hand to his face, fingertips pressing into his forehead. "I am sorry, Harry."  
  
" _Sorry?!_ " Harry's voice rose in incredulity, and one of the vials that had been teetering on the tabletop exploded with a sharp  _pop_. From the corner of his eye Harry saw Draco flinch slightly at the sound, and spun around to face him.  
  
Draco, for his part, didn't react at all to the fury on Harry's face, simply looking at him. Harry noticed that Draco was clutching his right hand slightly; there were indents on his first and third fingers where his ring had dug into his skin when Harry had gripped Draco's hand during the prophecy. Seeing Draco quietly sitting there effectively calmed Harry enough to be sure he wouldn't break anything else, or lose his mind completely and attack Dumbledore. Dumbledore might have deserved his anger but Draco definitely did not.  
  
Harry reached for Draco's injured hand. Draco placed it in Harry's grasp without hesitation, and Harry gently tugged it toward him, raising it to his lips and brushing a kiss over his knuckles. He didn't say anything but Draco understood the unspoken apology. His gaze softened and he stretched his index finger up to brush a caress along Harry's cheek.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked Dumbledore, eyes still trained on Draco's face.  
  
He heard Dumbledore shift in his chair but didn't turn around. It was rude to keep his back to the man as he spoke, but it was either that or run the risk of losing his temper again.  
  
"Like I said, Harry. I have no valid excuses. When you first asked me why Voldemort had tried to kill you, I told myself you were too young to know the truth, that the burden of the prophecy was too big. Then I kept telling myself it wasn't the right time, that you had other responsibilities to take care of. I even used the idea of forming the  _Adversarius_  as yet another reason to not tell you."  
  
Harry's jaw clenched and he forced himself to keep the hand holding Draco's relaxed.  
  
"Did Voldemort know the prophecy?"  
  
"He did not know it in its entirety. He had a spy, who was following me, and he overheard the first part. He was removed before it was finished, however, so gave Voldemort the incomplete version."  
  
"Who was the spy?" Harry asked.  
  
There was a decided pause, like Dumbledore didn't want to answer. When he did, the response was slow. "The spy was Professor Snape."  
  
Harry dropped Draco's hand as he felt white-hot anger instantly flare inside him at Dumbledore's words. He leaned forward, bracing himself against the mattress, and dropped his head, forcing himself to breathe deeply. His fingers clenched in the blankets as he struggled to control his emotions.  
  
No doubt realizing that Harry was once again about to lose it, Draco leaned forward and hesitantly laid a hand on his shoulder. Harry's head jerked up at the contact and he met Draco's wide-eyed stare.  
  
"Breathe, Harry," Draco murmured, hand tightening on his shoulder. "You don't want to break anything else."  
  
Harry suddenly had the urge to laugh hysterically and tamped it down, knowing it would only come out sounding completely insane. He certainly didn't care about the décor of the hospital wing at this particular moment, although he understood what Draco was trying to do.  
  
In his head he was seeing an entire lifetime of could-have-beens. What if Snape - someone he'd managed to have a semi-productive working relationship with when it came to the war but still couldn't honestly say he liked all that much - hadn't told Voldemort what he'd overheard? Then Voldemort wouldn't have wanted to get his hands on Harry, and there would have been no need for a  _Fidelius_  charm. Pettigrew wouldn't have been made Secret Keeper, and wouldn't have betrayed his parents. Sirius wouldn't have gone after him and spent twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. And most of all, Harry would have grown up with loving parents - parents who wanted him - instead of the Dursleys, who hated the mere thought of him….  
  
So much would have been different. Harry had always placed the blame for his parents' deaths squarely on Pettigrew and Voldemort. But while they had definitely played a role, none of it would have happened if not for Snape.  
  
"Professor Snape blames himself for your parents' deaths," Dumbledore said quietly, with his irritating habit of knowing precisely what Harry was thinking, although, to be fair, in this case it wasn't exactly difficult.  
  
"As well he should," Harry bit out angrily. "None of this would have happened if he hadn't told Voldemort what he overheard!"  
  
"Professor Snape has carefully cultivated your dislike of him," Dumbledore continued. "He knows that you have every right to be angry with him, and has behaved accordingly to make it easier for you to do so."  
  
"Oh, no," Harry said, spinning around and facing the Headmaster. "No, no,  _no_ , you are  _not_  going to make me feel sorry for him! He hated my father and probably got a perverse joy out of being the cause of his death!"  
  
"Your father, perhaps," Dumbledore said. "But not your mother. Never your mother."  
  
"What are you  _saying_?" Harry asked, voice sounding strangled.   
  
"Professor Snape cared for your mother, Harry. He and Lily were childhood friends. He was devastated when he realized that what he'd overheard had led to her death. That is the reason he switched allegiances.  _That_  is why he agreed to spy."  
  
Harry reeled backwards, legs collapsing underneath him. He fell to the bed, where his shoulder was immediately gripped by Draco and he was pulled back against Draco's chest.  
  
"Snape was  _friends_  with my mum?" Harry asked faintly, hands finding purchase in the sleeves of Draco's jumper.  
  
"He was," Dumbledore confirmed, for once leaving off the rejoinder to remember Snape's honorific.  
  
"Then why did he join Voldemort in the first place?"  
  
"That is a question for Professor Snape to answer," said Dumbledore, voice firm.  
  
"Right, because we're so good at carrying on conversations," Harry replied sarcastically. He felt Draco laugh slightly.  
  
"Nonetheless, it is one only he should answer. In this instance, I will say no more." Dumbledore's tone confirmed his words.  
  
Harry scowled slightly, knowing there had to have been a catch to Dumbledore's "you can ask me anything". Seeing Harry's expression, Dumbledore quickly added, "Anything else, however, is open for discussion, if you want to ask."  
  
That mollified Harry slightly, and he settled back into Draco's arms, trying to decide what to ask next.  
  
"Why did Voldemort think you were dead?" he finally asked.  
  
"Ah," Dumbledore replied, eyes once again twinkling behind his spectacles. "It was really a mere parlor trick and I am surprised Tom actually fell for it. There is a charm called Heart's Desire, which operates much like the mirror you found so long ago - it shows you only what you want to see. When Voldemort attempted to kill me, I used the charm to show him what he most desired in that instant: me, dead."  
  
"I thought Tom Riddle was brilliant!" Harry said. "That sure seems like a really stupid mistake for him to make."  
  
"Tom Riddle  _was_  brilliant, Harry. He was probably the most intelligent student I ever taught. But as Voldemort, he occasionally let his hatred override his common sense. He did that when he thought I was dead, and did the same upon hearing the prophecy."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"There were actually two babies born at the end of July in 1980," Dumbledore said. "You, of course, and-"  
  
"Neville," Harry breathed.  
  
"Yes."   
  
"Longbottom?" Draco asked, incredulous. "Surely not!"  
  
"Oh, yes, Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore with a smile. He then focused back on Harry. "But Voldemort chose you, Harry, probably because you reminded him of himself, since you both were half-bloods with similar backgrounds. He saw you as the greater threat, although he most likely intended to go after both you and Mr. Longbottom. What he didn't realize was that he was working with an incomplete prophecy and, by going after you - once again failing to think things through to their entirety - he brought the words of the prophecy to fruition. If he hadn't tried to kill you, the connection between the two of you would never have been formed. And you would never have been his biggest threat."  
  
Harry rather thought there was poetic justice in that, and murmured something along those lines, which earned him another smile from the Headmaster.  
  
They were suddenly interrupted when the curtains around them were unceremoniously yanked open and Sirius' voice yelled out, "And I don't care  _what_  Albus said, I am  _going_  to see my godson!"  
  
Sirius then appeared in the opening, the outrage on his face turning sheepish as he saw Dumbledore looking at him with amusement.  
  
"Yes, do come in, Sirius," he said.  
  
"Er," Sirius began, then shrugged. "Oh, to hell with it," he mumbled, stepping fully into the enclosure.  
  
"Sirius," Harry said, relief apparent in his voice, "I'm so glad you're okay!" He reached out his arms to the man for a hug.  
  
"'Course I'm okay," Sirius said with a grin. "You aren't going to get rid of me that easily!" He wrapped Harry into a hug and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head. "It was you I was worried about!"  
  
Harry pulled back and asked, "How long was I out?"  
  
"Too long," Draco muttered from behind him, and Sirius made a sound of agreement.  
  
"Sixteen hours, Harry," answered Dumbledore. "I told them all it was perfectly all right, but they remained unconvinced."  
  
Ron and Hermione appeared in the opening, then, took one look at him sitting there, and immediately launched themselves at him. Harry had a face full of brown and red hair the next second, Sirius barely managing to step aside before they bowled him over.  
  
There were many exclamations, then, as all three attempted to ascertain how the others were doing, and there may have been some tears on Hermione's part, although she tried to deny them later. But after much hugging and squeezing and shouting, Ron and Hermione were seated on the bed, Sirius was sitting in an armchair that Dumbledore had conjured up for him, and more tea had been procured from the house elves.  
  
Harry took a good long look at Ron, who had a still-healing bruise on his face from Ernie's plant, but otherwise seemed in perfect health. Once he was sure about Ron, he turned to Hermione, who gave him a slightly watery smile over the rim of her cup.  
  
"We really are fine, Harry," she said, and Harry nodded, unsure if his voice would work or not.  
  
Draco shifted behind him, no doubt uncomfortable now that he was the only Slytherin in the room, and Harry turned to face him, concern flaring.  
  
"You are okay too, right?" he asked, realizing he'd never actually asked Draco how he was doing.   
  
"I'm fine, Harry," replied Draco with a slight smile. "My father wasn't pushing terribly hard with the dagger and I only really got cut when Padfoot knocked us over. Madam Pomfrey fixed me right up."  
  
"And your mum?" Harry hesitantly asked. "I saw her go down…."  
  
"Also fine," Sirius said. "She'd only been stunned. I think our sudden appearance threw Voldemort off his game."  
  
"How did you all get through?" Harry asked, turning to face Dumbledore. "He had some kind of strange shield up."  
  
"Professor Snape was able to dismantle it," Dumbledore answered, ignoring Sirius' grimace at the man's name. Harry wondered if Sirius knew that Snape had been the one to tell Voldemort about the prophecy, or if Sirius even knew about the prophecy, but decided pretty quickly that those were questions for another time. He didn't want to talk about Snape.  
  
"Why did you use the sword, Harry?" Ron asked. "Not that it wasn't completely brilliant, but I was surprised you went for the more hands-on approach instead of using your wand."  
  
Harry shifted slightly. He'd never told anyone except Draco about his inability to cast the Unforgivables, and wasn't sure he wanted to get into that right now.  
  
"Voldemort disarmed him," Draco said, saving Harry from answering. Harry gave him a grateful look, and Draco nodded slightly.  
  
"Oh," Ron said. "Of course. Sorry, wasn't thinking about that."  
  
"No worries," Harry told him, then asked, "Speaking of, where  _is_  my wand?" He'd just realized that it wasn't on the bedside table, and was wondering if anyone had retrieved it from Voldemort's robes.  
  
"I have it," Sirius said, reaching into his sleeve and withdrawing the wand. "I grabbed it right before we brought you up here." He handed the wand to Harry, who gently laid it beside himself on the bed.  
  
"Thanks," he said.  
  
As the conversation floated around him, Harry found himself back in Draco's arms, held against his chest. The voices of his loved ones washed over him, and he snuggled closer to Draco - whose arms obligingly tightened their grip - and fell asleep.  
  
***  
  
Draco braced his arms against one of the window frames of the Astronomy Tower, looking out over the battle-scarred landscape. The more overt remnants of the battle, like the bits of broken desks and scattered suits of armor, had been cleared away, but there were still deep cuts in the ground from the spells that had been thrown around, as well as the gouges left by the transfigured knights that had stomped through the muddy grass.  
  
The castle itself was unmarked; the spell to keep the students safe had worked, well, like a charm, as Pansy would say. There had been deaths - once Harry had woken up again he'd demanded to know everyone who had been injured or had lost their lives - and a mass funeral was planned for two days' time. Anyone who wanted to speak was going to get their chance, but Draco wasn't planning on saying any words. He was lucky; his mother had survived with only a couple of bruises, none of his housemates had received anything worse than the cutting curse that Daphne had been hit with (and she'd been patched up by Professor Snape as soon as he'd been able to take care of her), and Harry was currently safe and sound inside Gryffindor Tower, no doubt being coddled and smothered in affection by his housemates.  
  
Draco refocused on the parchment in his hand. It was from his father, and had been delivered the morning after the battle. His father had somehow managed to escape in the aftermath; there had been a lot of shouting and gesturing, with Sirius yelling about Harry and Narcissa both, Madam Pomfrey's frantic healing of Draco's throat (he'd downplayed the seriousness of his injury to Harry, not wanting to add any more stress in that particular moment, but it really had been touch and go there for a while), and a last-minute attempt by a couple of Death Eaters to finish Voldemort's attempt on Harry's life. Neither of them had even gotten close, though, as Dumbledore - who had literally appeared out of nowhere - took care of them both with two quick flicks of his wand. Draco had gotten to witness this right before Madam Pomfrey knocked him out to speed his recovery, so anything that happened after that was unknown to him.  
  
Draco had no idea where his father had gone, and honestly couldn't bring himself to care, at least not right now. The letter had been brief and to the point: Draco was now the head of the Malfoy family, Lucius had no plans to remain in England, and he was granting Narcissa's request for a divorce. There had been no mention of Harry or Draco's proclamation of love, and no apology for nearly ending Draco's life, although that was admittedly not entirely his father's fault. Maybe once Lucius was relocated and settled - no doubt under some false name to avoid being turned in to the Aurors and sent to Azkaban - Draco would hear more from him, but he highly doubted it. There had been something very final about the few words he'd written.  
  
It was disconcerting to Draco that he just felt sort of blank about the whole thing. He'd already gone through the process of losing his father's approval - joining Dumbledore had effectively ensured that - but he'd still known his father was there in the manor, even if he had no intention of seeing him. He was feeling a whole mess of emotions too numerous to fully decipher, which is why he'd slipped away from everyone for a while. It was quiet and peaceful on the Astronomy Tower, and while he hadn't really sorted anything out, it had still allowed him to think without anyone hovering over him.  
  
Draco turned at a slight sound behind him and saw Pansy. She was standing with one hand on the doorframe, the other holding a purple fleece blanket closed around her shoulders. Her eyes were red and puffy - she must have been crying - and Draco felt a pang of guilt that he'd forgotten about her.  
  
"Hey," he said softly. He reached out a hand to her, which she stepped forward and took after a moment's hesitation.  
  
"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't know you were up here. I didn't mean to bother you." Draco noticed that her voice sounded clogged, like she had a stuffy nose.  
  
"You didn't," he assured her. "I was just thinking." He stuffed the letter from his father into the pocket of his cloak, and pulled her forward against his chest.  
  
Pansy settled herself with her back against Draco's front, wrapping both hands into the soft fabric of her blanket. "I just needed to get out of the dorms," she said, voice hitching slightly. "It's too somber down there, and I've already cried enough."  
  
Draco made a noise of agreement. He'd only been down there for a very brief amount of time and it had been more than enough. Tears were certainly plentiful in the Slytherin dorms, although most of them were taking place behind closed doors and silencing charms. It was an unfortunate fact that many of Draco's housemates were children of Death Eaters. Not all of them, of course - the Greengrass family, and Blaise's mum, for example, were neutral - but Draco hadn't been the only one to come face-to-face with a family member on the battlefield. Pansy's father had been killed by one of the Aurors, and while her mother hadn't worn the cloak and mask, she'd fully agreed with Voldemort's ideals. As far as Draco knew, Pansy hadn't heard from her mother, and he was unsure if they would ever make amends.  
  
"It shouldn't hurt so badly to lose someone that you already thought of as gone," whispered Pansy. Her voice broke and she hastily reached up to wipe away a tear.  
  
Because Draco knew exactly what she meant - his father wasn't dead but was as good as - he simply said, "I know," and turned her in his arms and held her as the tears continued, pressing a kiss against her temple.  
  
After several moments, Pansy stepped back, using the blanket to wipe her eyes. Draco reached into his pocket and handed her his handkerchief, which she took and blew her nose on. The blanket slipped to the ground and Draco picked it up, holding it until Pansy was partially cleaned up.  
  
"Ugh, I'm so sick of  _crying_!" Pansy said in disgust. "I thought I was done with this back when I first switched sides!" She clutched the now soggy handkerchief in one hand. "It's not like he even deserves to have me crying over him," she added bitterly.  
  
Draco didn't reply, instead murmuring a quick cleaning charm on the handkerchief and wrapping Pansy back in her blanket.  
  
"Tracey won't come out of the dorm," she said once she was once again covered up. Tracey's brother - an Auror - had been killed by Rodolphus Lestrange."Blaise has been sitting outside the door to the dorm all day, but can't get past the charm to go in. I was going to see if Professor Snape could undo it just this once, but I can't find him."   
  
"He's in the hospital wing," Draco said. "Madam Pomfrey told him he can't leave until he lets her heal his leg."  
  
"Maybe if we tell him what's going on in the dungeons he'll let her?"  
  
Draco shrugged. "I think it was more the fact that he was trying to help heal the others. And I also don't think he believes his injury warrants all her fussing, although his limp is pretty awful."  
  
Pansy sighed, and looked out over the grounds. "It's hard to believe it's really over," she murmured. "What is everyone going to do now that there's no war, and we have all these pieces to pick up?"  
  
Draco's thoughts instantly travelled to Harry (who was never far from his thoughts anyway). Having listened to everything about the prophecy, Draco had come to realize just how much of Harry's very existence revolved around Voldemort. Nearly everything he'd ever done was as a direct result of the prophecy, even though he hadn't realized it at the time. Draco wondered what Harry was going to do with the rest of his life.  
  
"How is Potter?" Pansy asked in the uncanny way she had of knowing what Draco was thinking. "I assume he's woken up, since you aren't in the hospital wing." The last bit was said with a glimmer of a grin.   
  
Draco hadn't left Harry's bedside once in the sixteen hours he'd been unconscious. He felt slightly guilty that he hadn't gone down to the common room during that time to at least see how his friends were doing, but once he'd been healed and his mother had been revived, his full attention had been on Harry, who had been lying so still on the bed, skin so very pale. Draco's only consolation had been the steady rise and fall of Harry's chest as he breathed, and the strong beat of his heart when Draco would lay his hand over it. Until Harry had awoken, Draco had found it impossible to step away.  
  
"He still has a headache, but is otherwise fine," Draco told her. "Madam Pomfrey released him into the care of Weasley and Granger, and they took him up to Gryffindor." What he didn't tell Pansy was that he'd threatened the both of them with dire harm if anything happened to him. It wasn't that he didn't trust them with Harry, but he just felt better when he could see him with his own eyes. That being said, he had been glad to get away for a while, needing a bit of space to think about his father and everything else that had happened during the past day.  
  
Of course, Weasley and Hermione hadn't taken his threats seriously at all, Weasley even going so far as to laugh out loud. If he hadn't been so relieved that Harry was awake and moving around, he might have been perturbed for at least a good minute.  
  
Harry, for his part, had allowed his two friends to fuss over him as they got him into clean clothes, shoving his trainers on his feet and bustling him out of the infirmary (with a call from Madam Pomfrey that she dearly hoped she wouldn't have to see him again for the rest of the year). Draco had hardly gotten to say two words to him alone, but as Hermione led him out he'd turned his head and given Draco a smile, mouthing the words, "I'll see you soon," over his shoulder. Draco hadn't been able to do anything but nod.  
  
"I'm glad he's all right," Pansy said.   
  
Draco gave her a half-smile and put an arm around her shoulders. "Me, too," he said needlessly. "Come on. Let's go find Professor Snape."  
  
***  
  
A couple of hours later, Draco stretched out on his bed in his room, linking his fingers behind his head and staring up at the canopy unseeingly.  
  
Professor Snape had been located, still in the hospital wing, with Madam Pomfrey shaking her wand threateningly at him. Once Pansy had told him about Tracey, however, he'd grudgingly allowed her to heal him up, complaining all the while, and then followed Draco and Pansy down to the Slytherin common room. He'd taken the charm off the door of the seventh year girls' dorm, and, as soon as Blaise had entered, softly calling out Tracey's name, she'd thrown back the curtains of her bed and launched herself at him, clutching onto him and sobbing into his shoulder. Draco had left shortly after that, with Pansy - eyes again filling with tears - following him, unable to bear her sadness.  
  
Hot chocolate had been procured from a house elf, and Draco had shared a cup with Pansy in her room before heading across the hall to his own, where he was now alone once again with his thoughts. The letter from his father had been deposited in his desk drawer, because if he had it in his hands he was going to continue to read it, over and over, although by now he had memorized the whole damn thing. He wanted to talk to his mother about it, but wasn't sure what to say. He kept thinking maybe he was missing something, that there was more to Lucius' words than what he'd actually written, but was afraid of being disappointed; his father had already let him down too often in the past.  
  
Then there was the whole mess with Theo. It hadn't surprised Draco to learn that Theo had played a role in bringing down the wards that allowed the Death Eaters to Apparate right onto the Hogwarts' grounds. He and Pansy had been right to be suspicious of his strange behavior; he'd apparently gotten away from Flitwick when the tiny professor had taken those students who had decided they didn't want to fight in the battle to the Charms classroom, sneaking away with the help of a disillusionment charm. He'd opened up a passageway between the school and Honeydukes, and, with a Death Eater feeding him the spells to use - the charm they'd placed on the school made it impossible for anyone who hadn't been charmed to enter the school itself - had set about bringing down the wards. Theo had also been the one responsible for placing the initial heat spell on the school. Draco wondered if he'd been acting of his own free will or if he'd been a victim of an  _Imperius_  curse; Theo had never really been all that vocal about the Dark Lord in the past, although Draco knew for a fact that Mr. Nott was definitely a Death Eater. Nonetheless, Theo had been removed from the school and was awaiting trial by the Ministry, along with all the other surviving Death Eaters that had been rounded up post-battle.  
  
His musing was interrupted by a very soft, barely-there knock on his door. In fact, if it hadn't been completely silent in his room he probably wouldn't have even heard it. Draco slid to his feet, briefly wondering who it was, and opened the door. He was greeted with the sight of an empty corridor.  
  
"Hello, invisible friend," he murmured, feeling something silky brush past him, and hearing a huff of laughter. As he closed the door, Harry appeared in front of him, hair standing on end from his cloak.  
  
Draco leaned back against the door, crossing his arms over his chest, and simply stared at Harry, drinking in the sight of him. Harry seemed content to simply watch Draco watch him. He folded his cloak and draped it over an arm, all the while keeping his eyes on Draco's face.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Draco finally asked, reaching out for the cloak and carefully laying it over the back of his desk chair.  
  
"My head hurts again," Harry answered honestly, "but I'm otherwise okay."  
  
Draco moved past Harry and opened the drawer of his bedside table, rummaging around until he found a small bottle of pain-relieving potion. He uncorked it and handed it to Harry, who gave him a small smile.  
  
"Cheers," Harry murmured, downing the potion in one go, and sighing in relief as it started working. He handed the bottle back to Draco, who tossed it onto his desk.  
  
Even though he and Harry had spent numerous hours alone together, this time he felt slightly awkward. It didn't take a genius to figure out why, of course; not only had things changed in regard to the war, but there was also that pesky declaration of love that Draco had blurted out in front of Voldemort, and the matter of his Patronus changing shape. Neither of which they'd exactly gotten a chance to talk about, what with having to kill said Dark Lord and the subsequent bouts of unconsciousness, and then being surrounded by people Draco wasn't about to bare his soul to. It was difficult enough to talk about his feelings with Harry, and Draco was in love with him.  
  
"So…." Harry began, rubbing his arms with his hands.  
  
Draco gave a short laugh, grabbing his wand and flicking it toward the fireplace to get a fire going, then casting silencing and locking charms on his door. Leave it to Harry to try to mow right on through the strangeness between them.  
  
"I think we need tea," Draco announced. Harry blinked in surprise.  
  
"Okay," he said uncertainly, fingers clenching in his sleeves. "I can ask Dobby."  
  
Draco gave a nod and watched as Dobby was summoned, bobbing up and down in excitement to be helping "Mr. Harry Potter, sir". He disappeared and almost instantly reappeared with tea, two cups and a plate of biscuits, which he set up on Draco's bedside table before disappearing again.  
  
Harry looked at him, apprehension apparent in his gaze, and Draco bit back a sigh. They were going to have to sort this out, and soon, before Harry got the wrong idea about Draco's thoughts.  
  
"Sit, Harry," Draco said, motioning toward his bed. Harry sat on the edge, fingers toying with the edge of his dressing gown until Draco reached out and laid his hands over the nervous fingers.  
  
Harry looked up at him, wide-eyed, and before Draco consciously thought about it, he'd leaned forward and brought them together in a kiss. As soon as their lips met, Harry's mouth opened, allowing Draco's tongue access. They kissed languidly for a long time, Draco realizing that he hadn't been able to kiss Harry and have the kiss returned since before the battle. Draco leaned further into Harry, dropping him onto his back, with Draco balancing his weight on his knees and forearms over him. After a moment, Draco broke the kiss, leaning back slightly so he could look into Harry's eyes.  
  
Harry was slightly confused, Draco could tell, no doubt trying to figure out exactly what was going on. Draco rolled off him, sitting next to the prone figure, but keeping one hand on Harry's chest, where he could feel the thump of his heartbeat. Harry raised himself up on an elbow and turned his head to keep eye contact.  
  
"Draco?" he said questioningly, the uncertainty clear in his voice. Harry brought his other hand up to rest lightly on the back of the hand on his chest.  
  
"I'm sorry, Harry," Draco said. "I know I'm acting strangely."  
  
Harry didn't say anything, but sat up further, the movement dislodging Draco's hand. "Is this about the prophecy?"  
  
Draco gave a slight laugh. "No. I don't care about the prophecy, Harry. That part of your life is over, and doesn't matter anymore."  
  
"Then what?" Harry asked, folding his legs under him and turning to fully face Draco.  
  
Draco reached for one of the teacups and took a quick swallow, nearly scalding his mouth on the hot liquid. He tried to figure out how to best start this conversation, but decided he'd probably just better come out and say what he meant, or Harry was likely to misunderstand; he had a feeling there hadn't been too many people who had told Harry that they'd cared for him.  
  
In the end he decided to just be blunt, and grabbing the proverbial bull by the horns, he said, "I love you," feeling his face flush but ignoring it. Instead he focused on the way Harry went very still, and his eyes went very wide.  
  
"You…." Harry seemed overwhelmed. "I … you'd said so, you know, to Voldemort, and I saw your Patronus, but I…." He trailed off, bringing his hands up and burying his face in them, fingers dislodging his glasses. He sat that way for a moment, and Draco saw that he was shaking slightly.  
  
"Harry?" he asked in concern, setting the cup down and reaching out to pull Harry's hands away from his face. "Are you okay?" Draco tried to fight back the dread that sprung up at Harry's reaction; maybe he'd said something wrong. Maybe Harry didn't feel the same, and didn't know how to tell him.  
  
Harry allowed him to take his hands, which Draco gripped tightly. When Harry opened his eyes, Draco could see tears, which Harry was trying to blink away. Harry reached forward, wrapping his fingers into the front of Draco's jumper, Draco shifting his grasp to Harry's wrists.  
  
"Draco," Harry finally said, voice thick with emotion.  
  
"You don't have to say it back," Draco hurriedly interrupted, wanting to end this discussion before Harry could say he didn't feel the same. "I just wanted you to know. I mean, I guess you knew already, what with my Patronus, like you said - and I can't believe Pansy actually thought it was me, can you? - but I'd never actually said the words to  _you_ , you know? I didn't think my weird revelation to my father and Voldemort really sufficed, seeing as they were basically your two worst enemies, so I just—"  
  
"Draco," Harry said again, thankfully putting an end to Draco's ridiculous ramble. "Draco, I love you, too."  
  
And oh, if he hadn't already been quiet, those words would have done it. Draco's hands gripped Harry's wrists tightly, a sense of wonder filling him.  
  
"Yeah?" he managed to get out; it was hard to speak when it felt like his heart was strangling him.  
  
Harry gave him a heartbreakingly sweet smile. "Yeah."  
  
Draco looked at Harry for a long moment - he vaguely realized that they sure seemed to be doing a lot of staring at each other - and then leaned forward and kissed him again.  
  
The kiss was sweet and tender. As Draco pulled away slightly he could feel Harry's smile, and knew there was an answering one on his own face. Harry slid his hands around Draco's back, pulling him closer, and brought his forehead down to rest on Draco's shoulder. Draco obligingly wrapped Harry up in a hug.  
  
It was quiet for a long moment, which was broken when Harry yawned against Draco's shoulder.  
  
"Are you going back to your dorm?" Draco asked.  
  
Harry shook his head and tightened his grip. "No, I want to stay here," he murmured.  
  
"Good, because I want you to stay here. Budge up, and I'll pull the covers down."  
  
Harry disentangled himself with a sigh, standing slowly. Draco stood as well and pulled the blankets down. Harry took off his dressing gown, dropping it in a pile at his feet, and placed his glasses on the bedside table along with his wand. As soon as Draco had the covers settled, Harry crawled under the sheets. Draco scooped the robe off the floor and folded it, setting it over his desk chair alongside Harry's invisibility cloak.  
  
He quickly changed into pajamas and doused the lights, climbing into bed next to Harry and lying on his back. Harry immediately curled up next to him and pressed against his side. Draco brought a hand up to card through Harry's hair, the other arm wrapping around his shoulders.  
  
"I'm surprised you got away from your friends," Draco said quietly. "I wouldn't have thought they'd let you out of their sight."  
  
"I told them I was tired and going to bed," replied Harry. "I pulled my curtains and slipped out of the Tower as someone was coming in. I'm sure they checked on me and found me gone, but I left the map on my bed so they'd be able to see where I was."  
  
Draco could tell Harry was on the verge of falling asleep; his voice was drifting in and out, sounding soft and sleepy.  
  
He pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead, right over his scar. Harry gave another yawn and snuggled closer.  
  
"Sorry," Harry said sleepily. "I don't know why I'm so tired, seeing as I've done little else but sleep all day."  
  
"Killing Dark Lords is a perfectly valid reason for being tired," Draco said gently. "Go to sleep, Harry. We can talk more tomorrow."  
  
Harry made a vague sound of agreement, but needed no more prompting; his breathing turned deep and even within minutes, and Draco smiled into the darkness. His last conscious thought before he followed Harry into sleep was that he could definitely get used to falling asleep with Harry tucked against him.  
  
***  
  
Harry stood in the first row of the Gryffindor Quidditch stands, looking out over the pitch. The day had dawned bright and sunny, with barely a cloud in the sky. There was just a hint of chill in the air; enough to warrant a cloak but not quite cold enough for scarves and mittens. Harry crossed his arms and settled them on the top of the wall in front of him.  
  
He had needed some time to himself, to think about everything that had happened the past week. It was hard to believe that only that much time had passed; surely when your whole life changed it should take longer than a few days.  
  
The mass funeral had been held the previous day; there had been so many people milling around the Hogwarts' grounds that Harry was positive the entire wizarding world was in attendance. He'd been decked out in brand new black formal dress robes and forced to endure the flashes of what felt like hundreds of cameras. He had attempted to ignore them, as well as the curious stares and pointing fingers of pretty much everyone in the crowd aside from his fellow students; they had thankfully gotten their staring and whispering out of the way during the previous day's mealtimes.  
  
Harry had desperately wanted to sit with Draco during the funeral, but in the end both boys had decided that Harry would be getting enough attention as it was. Draco hadn't wanted to make it worse for Harry, and Harry hadn't wanted the press to run wild with speculation about Draco, especially since his father had managed to escape capture. The  _Daily Prophet_  was full of headlines regarding the search for escaped Death Eaters, with Lucius Malfoy getting much of their focus.  
  
So instead Harry had sat stiffly between Ron and Hermione, feeling thousands of pairs of eyes looking at him from every angle. Sirius had done his best to keep the reporters at bay - there might have been a number of lowly-intoned threats growled in Rita Skeeter's general direction - but he couldn't protect Harry from the camera flashes, or the whispers, or the fear and awe on everyone's faces. Ron and Hermione had stayed close to him, but all that that had accomplished was them getting their pictures taken every other second as well.  
  
The funeral had taken nearly an entire day with all the people who had wanted to get up and speak. It had started promptly at nine in the morning, and aside from a lunch break (courtesy of the Hogwarts' house elves), had continued on late into the evening when fairy lights had had to be conjured to light the grounds. Harry had had to content himself with short glances in Draco's direction (which were usually immediately followed by Draco looking in Harry's direction, much to Hermione's amusement), and an impromptu snog session in the broom cupboard off of the entrance hall during lunch that had left Harry slightly dusty and smelling a bit like lemon floor cleaner, which Draco had accidentally spilled in the dark.  
  
Listening to everyone get up and speak at the funeral had been heart-wrenching. Harry didn't even know a lot of the people who had been killed, but listening to their loved ones - parents, siblings, spouses,  _children_  - had been awful. While he knew logically that there wasn't really anything he could have done to prevent their deaths, there was a part of him that still felt guilty; maybe if he'd just been able to kill Voldemort sooner, so many wouldn't have been lost.  
  
Harry hadn't spoken, although he was thinking now that he perhaps should have, even though he hadn't felt up to it ; while he felt sadness for those who had lost family members, he had been incredibly lucky in that everyone he cared about had survived. But the truth was that he'd done all the talking he was interested in doing when he'd given his little speech prior to the battle, and again when he'd finally been prodded by his housemates into recounting how he'd killed Voldemort (leaving out Draco's proclamation, of course). They had all sat perfectly still and silent, completely spellbound by his tale.  
  
He knew he would eventually have to speak to the media, but was hoping he'd be able to put it off just a little longer. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation, and only hoped he'd be able to pick the time and place.  
  
Harry had wanted to do something special for Pansy and Tracey; while he was not what you would call friends with either of them, he'd spent the entire last year working closely with them and wanted to pay his respects and let them know he was thinking about them. He'd asked Hermione for help, and the two of them had researched flowers and their meanings. He had wanted to convey his sorrow for their suffering and also wanted to wish them well. After much deliberation (which was hampered by the small time frame they'd had to work with), he finally settled on a small bouquet of snowdrops, sweet briar and yarrow, with a white ribbon wrapped around their stems.  
  
When he had presented the flowers to Pansy, she took one look at them and promptly launched herself at Harry, nearly strangling him with the force of her hug. He'd returned it carefully, well aware that she was fighting tears and not wanting to do anything to push her over the edge. The look Draco had given him was so full of emotion that he'd found it difficult to swallow. Pansy had pulled back, and in a slightly tremulous voice, had said, "Thank you, Harry." It had been the first time she had ever called him by his given name.  
  
Tracey had been a bit more reserved, but the gratitude on her face had spoken volumes. She'd taken the flowers from him gently and lightly touched one of the blossoms with the tip of her finger. When she'd thanked him - quietly but heartfelt - she'd called him Potter, but she'd given him a small smile that more than made up for it. Blaise had given him a solemn nod.  
  
Both girls had held the flowers throughout the funeral, and Harry had been glad he could help them feel even a little bit better. By the time it was all said and done, however, Harry never wanted to see another person - aside from his immediate circle, of course - again in his life, or at the very least, the imminent future. That was why he was now standing alone in the Quidditch stands, watching a bird of some kind or other glide across the sky before disappearing into the trees of the forest.  
  
Harry shifted position slightly, pulling his cloak more tightly around him. He was surprised no one had come looking for him; he had disappeared - literally - right after breakfast, using his invisibility cloak to sneak past the few dedicated reporters that were still lurking around the front steps. Dumbledore had set some wards so that they were unable to enter the castle itself, but he seemed unable to make them leave entirely.  
  
Hogwarts was preparing for the students' departure, as it had been decided that expecting everyone to be focused on their classes and upcoming exams was too much to ask, especially since many of them had suffered losses in the battle. The Ministry was making plans to hold summer classes so fifth and seventh years could finish out their current term and take their O.W.Ls and N.E.W.T.s, respectively. Everyone else would simply forego their exams and efforts would be made to catch them up next year.  
  
Harry slung an elbow up on the wall and rested his chin in his hand. It was hard to believe that he was leaving Hogwarts for the last time; the summer classes would be held at the Ministry itself, rather than the school, in order to allow everyone to be with their families. He had a lot to look forward to this summer; not only would he not have to return to the Dursleys (or even see them again if he didn't want to), but Sirius had purchased a nice house in the country where he and Narcissa were planning on living, and had already told Harry that a room had been reserved just for him. But Hogwarts had been his first real home, the first place he'd truly been happy. It was sad to think that he would never again walk its corridors or wind his way down the grand staircase as a student. There would be no more Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch matches in which he would grab the Snitch right out from under Draco's nose, no more attempts to win the House Cup, and no more celebrations in the Gryffindor common room. That part of his life was nearly over, and Harry wasn't sure how to feel about it.  
  
Of course, moving on wasn't all bad. Draco also had a room in Sirius and Narcissa's new home, although Harry sort of thought that was pointless, as he had no intention of them sleeping apart if they were both under the same roof.  
  
Draco had told Harry about the letter he'd received from his father. The next day he had received a whole bundle of paperwork from Gringott's detailing the transfer of the Malfoy bank accounts and assets over to Draco. Harry could tell that Draco was completely overwhelmed by it all; last night he'd simply held him as Draco rambled on about everything in his head, continuing to talk until the wee hours of the morning, when he'd finally fallen into an exhausted sleep mid-sentence.  
  
What Harry had been able to pick up from Draco's run of words was that, while he was ashamed of the choices his father had made, he was still proud to be a Malfoy, still proud of his heritage. Malfoy Manor was his birthright, along with everything inside its walls. That being said, Draco wasn't ready to live there; without his parents, the Manor was too big, too lonely and too empty. He had a vague plan to go through it, room by room, and rid it of anything and everything related to Voldemort. Most of those items had been disposed of previously, as Lucius had never quite managed to convince everyone at the Ministry that he was a law-abiding citizen, and hadn't wanted to keep anything that might cause a problem should the Ministry decide to try another raid. Anything that wasn't directly related to Voldemort, even if it was perhaps a bit grey in nature, was being kept, though, as Draco had a natural curiosity for learning and figured some things were better off in his hands than anyone else's.  
  
He was pulled from his musing when someone called his name, and he looked down toward the pitch to find Draco staring up at him, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun. He had a piece of parchment clutched in one hand, which Harry assumed to be the Marauder's Map.  
  
"Harry, come down!" Draco called up to him. "Everyone's nearly ready to leave!"  
  
"All right!" Harry called back, and, after another look around the pitch, headed toward the stairs of the stands and down to the ground. Draco was waiting for him at the exit from the stands, and as Harry appeared, he handed him back the map.  
  
"Hermione gave it to me," he said, wrapping one arm around Harry's shoulders and pulling him close to place a kiss on his temple. Harry gave a nod in response, leaning closer to Draco, enjoying his warmth as he tucked the map into his cloak pocket.  
  
"You're cold," Draco murmured, turning Harry to face him fully and wrapping his arms around him. "How long have you been out here?"  
  
"Since after breakfast," Harry said, tucking his face into the side of Draco's neck. "I needed some time to think."  
  
Draco made a vague noise of agreement and held him for a moment, before reluctantly releasing him and stepping back. "We have to go. Weasley brought your trunk down for you, although I think Sirius is just going to take it. He already has mine."  
  
Harry nodded and tucked his hands into his pockets, pulling his cloak around him. "Is Skeeter still hanging about the front doors?"  
  
Draco gave a slight smile. "Yes. And she tried to ask me all sorts of questions about my father, which I gave vague answers to. I have no idea where he is, but of course no one believes me." His voice had gone slightly bitter.  
  
"I believe you," Harry said with a smile, which melted Draco's cynicism. He gave Harry a half smile.  
  
"You aren't exactly one of the people I have to convince," he said dryly, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulders as they made their way back to the castle.  
  
When they got within view of the doors, Draco dropped his arm and moved away from Harry slightly, knowing where there were reporters, there were cameras. Harry could pick out Rita Skeeter's lime green robes from where he was standing; she was as close to the school as Dumbledore's wards would allow, poised with her Quick-Quotes Quill at the ready, although she hadn't spotted him yet.  
  
"Are you going to use your cloak?" Draco asked. "She knows I came out here, but you could still slip by unnoticed."  
  
"No," Harry said thoughtfully. "I don't think I am."  
  
Draco looked at him in surprise, as Harry had been going out of his way to avoid pretty much everyone.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked.  
  
Harry gave a decisive nod and quickened his steps slightly, Draco keeping pace. As they neared the doors, Skeeter saw him and immediately launched into an avalanche of questions; she'd obviously been saving them up since the end of the battle.  
  
Well. If she wanted something to write about, Harry would give her something to write about.  
  
And with that thought he stopped and turned to face Draco.  
  
"Harry?" Draco said uncertainly, looking at him with wide grey eyes.  
  
Harry didn't say anything back, ignoring Skeeter's insistent questions and the camera that had just gone off behind her. Instead, he reached up, slid a hand along Draco's jaw until his fingers were tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck, and pulled Draco forward into a kiss.  
  
Draco froze for a moment, hands clutching Harry's arms in shock. Harry didn't mind - he'd figured that was coming - and instead ran the tip of his tongue along Draco's bottom lip. Draco made a strangled sound in his throat, and then suddenly Harry was crushed against his body and Draco was returning the kiss full force.  
  
The camera flashes were blinding, and Rita's shrieking was ear-splitting, but as Draco's taste flooded Harry's mouth, Harry found he didn't care about any of it. He would no doubt be front page news - Skeeter was sure to get her headline! - and he couldn't help but grin at the fact that he'd dictated the terms on what it would say; no Quick-Quotes Quill was necessary.  
  
Suddenly Rita fell silent, and Harry broke the kiss with a laugh, leaning his forehead against Draco's, who had brought one hand to the back of Harry's neck and was cradling his head gently. He turned and looked toward the school, noticing that Hermione was on the steps with her wand out, and she was grinning broadly. Ron was beside her, and he, too, looked quite amused at the spectacle. Harry could see that Skeeter's mouth was still moving; Hermione had apparently silenced her.  
  
"Oh, Harry," Hermione said, amused. "I do believe you're going to be front page news."  
  
"So what else is new?" he asked her with a grin, and another camera flash went off.   
  
She shook her head at him fondly, tucking away her wand and motioning for him and Draco to come into the school. Harry gave Draco one last kiss, then took his hand and pulled him inside.  
  
As he looked around at the stunned members of the media, he couldn't help but grin.  
  
All was well.  
  
[ _end_ ]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those interested, here is the meaning behind the flowers that Harry gives to Pansy and Tracey:
> 
>  **Snowdrop** means hope and consolation  
>  **Yarrow** signifies healing  
>  **Sweet briar** (also called Eglantine Rose) indicates a wound to heal


End file.
